We investigate the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on other underlying causes of death in Brazil in 2020 and 2021. We estimate monthly age-standardized mortality rates for 2010-2021 and decompose those time series into three additive components: trend, seasonality, and remainder. Given the long-term trend and historical seasonal fluctuations, we assume that any impact from the pandemic will be left on the remainder. We also decompose the contributions of COVID-19 deaths (direct effect) and those from other causes (indirect effects) to the annual change in life expectancy at birth (e0) from 2017 to 2021. Broadly, the remainder mirrors the trajectory of pandemic waves. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on other causes of death was not limited to increases but also decreases. The direct effects of the pandemic reduced e0 by 1.89 years between 2019 and 2020 and 1.77 between 2020 and 2021. Indirect effects increased e0 by 0.44 between 2019 and 2020 and had virtually no impact on e0 between 2020 and 2021. Whether trajectories in mortality rates and annual gains in e0 will quickly return to pre-pandemic levels depends on governmental actions to mitigate the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed gaps in global health systems, especially in the low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Evidence shows that patients with non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are at higher risk of contracting COVID-19 and suffering direct and indirect health consequences. Considering the future challenges such as environmental disasters and pandemics to the LMICs health systems, digital health interventions (DHI) are well poised to strengthen health care resilience. This study aims to implement and evaluate a comprehensive package of DHIs of integrated COVID-NCD care to manage NCDs in primary care facilities in rural Pakistan. Methods The study is designed as a pragmatic, parallel two-arm, multi-centre, cluster randomised controlled trial. We will randomise 30 primary care facilities in three districts of Punjab, where basic hypertension and diabetes diagnosis and treatment is provided, with a ratio of 1:1 between intervention and control. In each facility, we will recruit 50 patients who have uncontrolled hypertension. The intervention arm will receive training on an integrated COVID-NCD guideline, and will use a smartphone app-based telemedicine platform where patients can communicate with health providers and peer-supporters, along with a remote training and supervision system. Usual care will be provided in the control arm. Patients will be followed up for 10 months. Our primary indicator is systolic blood pressure measured at 10 months. A process evaluation guided by implementation science frameworks will be conducted to explore implementation questions. A cost-effectiveness evaluation will be conducted to inform future scale up in Pakistan and other LMICs. Discussion: Our study is one of the first randomised controlled trials to evaluate the effectiveness of DHIs to manage NCDs to strengthen health system resilience in LMICs. We will also evaluate the implementation process and cost-effectiveness to inform future scale-up in similar resource constrained settings.
Background: Antipsychotic drugs have been associated with increased mortality, stroke and myocardial infarction in people with dementia. Concerns have been raised that antipsychotic prescribing may have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic due to social restrictions imposed to limit the spread of the virus. We used multisource, routinely-collected healthcare data from Wales, UK, to investigate prescribing and mortality trends in people with dementia before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We used individual-level, anonymised, population-scale linked health data to identify adults aged >=60 years with a diagnosis of dementia in Wales, UK. We explored antipsychotic prescribing trends over 67 months between 1st January 2016 and 1st August 2021, overall and stratified by age and dementia subtype. We used time series analyses to examine all-cause, myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke mortality over the study period and identified the leading causes of death in people with dementia. Findings: Of 57,396 people with dementia, 11,929 (21%) were prescribed an antipsychotic at any point during follow-up. Accounting for seasonality, antipsychotic prescribing increased during the second half of 2019 and throughout 2020. However, the absolute difference in prescribing rates was small, ranging from 1253 to 1305 per 10,000 person-months. Prescribing in the 60-64 age group and those with Alzheimer9s disease increased throughout the 5-year period. All-cause and stroke mortality increased in the second half of 2019 and throughout 2020 but MI mortality declined. From January 2020, COVID-19 was the second commonest underlying cause of death in people with dementia. Interpretation: During the COVID-19 pandemic there was a small increase in antipsychotic prescribing in people with dementia. The long-term increase in antipsychotic prescribing in younger people and in those with Alzheimer9s disease warrants further investigation. Funding: British Heart Foundation (BHF) (SP/19/3/34678) via the BHF Data Science Centre led by HDR UK, and the Scottish Neurological Research Fund.
Background: Various types of vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 have reduced the burden of coronavirus diseases 2019 (COVID-19) across the world. We conducted an observational study to evaluate the effectiveness of NVX-CoV2373 and BNT162b2 in providing protection in Korean adults. Methods: This study was a retrospective matched cohort study to emulate a target trial of three doses of NVX-CoV2373 (N-N-N) versus three doses of BNT162b2 (B-B-B) vaccines in presumed immune-naive adults. We used data from the Korea COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness (K-COVE) cohort, combining all COVID-19 laboratory-confirmed cases and all COVID-19 immunization registry, between February and November 2022. We calculated 40-week risk differences and risk ratios between the two vaccines. Results: A total of 3,019 recipients of NVX-CoV2373 vaccine and 3,027 recipients of BNT162b2 vaccine were eligible for the study. The 40-week risk ratios for recipients of the NVX-CoV2373 vaccine as compared with recipients of the BNT162b2 vaccine were 1.169 (95% CI, 1.015 to 1.347) for laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, and 0.504 (95% CI, 0.126 to 2.014) for severe SARS-CoV-2 infection. Estimated risk of severe infection was 0.001 events per 1000 persons (95% CI, 0 to 0.003) for the NVX-CoV2373 vaccine and 0.002 events per 1000 persons (95% CI, 0.001 to 0.006) for BNT162b2 vaccine. Conclusion: This study identifies reduced risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe infection after receipt of three doses of either NVX-CoV2373 or BNT162b2 vaccines in Korean adults. Direct, vaccine-conferred protection may be of importance among high risk persons to mitigate from serious clinical outcome from COVID-19.
Background: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has a significant influence on access to healthcare services. This study aimed to understand the views and experiences of people living with HIV (PLHIV) about barriers to their access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) service in Belu district, Indonesia, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This qualitative inquiry employed in-depth interviews to collect data from 21 participants who were recruited using a snowball sampling technique. Data analysis was guided by a thematic framework analysis. Results: The findings showed that fear of contracting COVID-19 was a barrier that impeded access to ART service by the participants. Such fear was influenced by their awareness of their vulnerability to the infection, the possibility of unavoidable physical contact in public transport during a travelling to HIV clinic and the widespread COVID-19 infection in healthcare facilities. Lockdowns, COVID-19 restrictions and lack of information about the provision of ART service during the pandemic were also barriers that impeded their access to the service. Other barriers included the mandatory regulation for travellers to provide their COVID-19 vaccine certificate, financial difficulty, long-distance travel to the HIV clinic and a lack of public transport. Conclusions: The findings indicate the need for dissemination of information about the provision of ART service during the pandemic and the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination for the health of PLHIV. The findings also indicate the need for new strategies to bring ART service closer to PLHIV during the pandemic such as a community-based delivery system. Future large-scale studies exploring views and experiences of PLHIV about barriers to their access to ART service during the COVID-19 pandemic and new intervention strategies are recommended.
This meta-analysis examines the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health in Latin America during its first year, using data from 71 studies with 231,441 participants. To address knowledge gaps in the existent literature we considered the type of study design, country of origin, effects of lockdown, and several potential moderating factors. We found prevalence rates of 31% for depression symptoms and 36% for anxiety symptoms. These estimates were higher than those observed in studies from the northern hemisphere. Longitudinal studies showed that depressive symptoms persisted over time, and lockdowns were associated with mildly increased anxiety levels. Female gender was associated with higher rates of depressive symptoms. Our analyses revealed high statistical heterogeneity, and moderating factors such as pandemic duration, COVID-19 cases and deaths, and lockdown stringency did not explain observed mental health symptoms. Methodological limitations include an overreliance on cross-sectional studies and a lack of pre-pandemic parameters that may lead to an overestimation of mental health symptom rates. Overall, this study provides valuable insights into mental health symptoms in Latin America during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the need for improved epidemiological research and mental health support in the region.
Background: The World Health Organisation recommends wastewater based epidemiology (WBE) for SARS-CoV-2 as a complementary tool for monitoring population-level epidemiological features of the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, uptake of WBE in low-to-middle income countries (LMIC) is low. We report on findings from SARS-CoV-2 WBE surveillance network in South Africa, and make recommendations regarding implementation of WBE in LMICs Methods: Seven laboratories using different test methodology, quantified influent wastewater collected from 87 wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) located in all nine South African provinces for SARS-CoV-2 from 01 June 2021 to 31 May 2022 inclusive, during the 3rd and 4th waves of COVID-19. Regression analysis with district laboratory confirmed SARS-CoV-2 case loads, controlling for district, size of plant and testing frequency was determined. The sensitivity and specificity of rules based on WBE data to predict an epidemic wave based on SARS-CoV-2 wastewater levels were determined. Results: Among 2158 wastewater samples, 543/648 (85%) samples taken during a wave tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 compared with 842 positive tests from 1512 (55%) samples taken during the interwave period. Overall, the regression-co-efficient was 0,66 (95% confidence interval=0,6-0,72, R squared=0.59), but ranged from 0.14 to 0.87 by testing laboratory. Early warning of the 4th wave of SARS-CoV-2 in Gauteng Province in November-December 2021 was demonstrated. A 50% increase in log-copies SARS-CoV-2 compared with a rolling mean over the previous 5 weeks was the most sensitive predictive rule (58%) to predict a new wave. Conclusion: Variation in the strength of correlation across testing laboratories, and redundancy of findings across co-located testing plants, suggests that test methodology should be standardised and that surveillance networks may utilise a sentinel site model without compromising the value of WBE findings for public health decision-making. Further research is needed to identify optimal test frequency and the need for normalisation to population size, so as to identify predictive and interpretive rules to support early warning and public health action. Our findings support investment in WBE for SARS-CoV-2 surveillance in low and middle-income countries.
Background: The recent COVID-19 epidemic in mainland China is an important issue for studying the prevention and disease control measures and the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic. Following our previous study for the mainland China epidemic during December 31 2021 to 30 April 2022, this paper studies and compares the the mainland China epidemic during December 31 2021 to December 6 2022. Methods: Using differential equations and real word data (both domestic and foreign input infected individuals) modelings and simulates COVID-19 epidemic in mainland China during May 1 2022 to December 6 2022, estimates the transmission rates, the recovery rates, the blocking rates to the symptomatic and the asymptomatic infections, and the died rate of the symptomatic infected individuals. The transmission rates and the recovery rates of the foreign input COVID-19 infected individuals in mainland China have also been studied. Using virtual simulations predict the outcomes of the epidemics. Results: The simulation results were in good agreement with the real word data. (1) The average input transmission rate of the foreign input symptomatic infection individuals was much lower than the average transmission rates of the symptomatic infection causing by the mainland symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals. (2) The average input transmission rate of the foreign input asymptomatic infection individuals was was much lower than the average transmission rate of the asymptomatic infection causing by the mainland symptomatic individuals. (3) The average recovery rates of the foreign input COVID-19 symptomatic and asymptomatic infected individuals were much higher than the average recovery rates of the mainland symptomatic and asymptomatic infected individuals. For the mainland epidemic simulations: (1) If kept the transmission rates, the recovery rates, the death rate and the blocking rates on day 181 (June 30, 2022), the numbers of the current symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals would reduce to about one on day 270 (September 27, 2022). (2) If kept the transmission rates, the recovery rates, the death rate and the blocking rates on day 340 (December 6, 2022) until day 377 (January 16, 2023), the numbers of the current symptomatic and the asymptomatic infected individuals would increase to 38896 and 230924, respectively, the cumulative death individuals would increase from 599 to 615, respectively. (3)If kept the transmission rates, the recovery rates on day 340, but decreased the blocking rates to 30% and select the death rate to equal to the average death rate during days 104-150, then the simulation showed that on day 377, the numbers of current symptomatic and the asymptomatic infected individuals would increase to about 33 723 6820 and 501 624 520, respectively, and the cumulative death individuals would reach about 1 011 768. For the foreign input epidemic simulations: (1) If kept the transmission rates, the recovery rates, and the blocking rates day 242 (August 30, 2022), until day 340, the numbers of the current symptomatic and the asymptomatic infected individuals would decrease to 13 and 430, respectively. (2) If kept the transmission rates, the recovery rates, the death rate and the blocking rates on day 340 until day 377 (January 16 2023), the numbers of the current symptomatic and the asymptomatic infected individuals would decrease and increase to 185 and 1935, respectively. (3) Recommendations on COVID-19 epidemic base on WHO9s technic guidelines and HBV Infection in Chimpanzees are provided. Conclusions: (1) For the mainland individuals9 epidemic, keeping the blocking rates of over 86% and 93% to the symptomatic and asymptomatic infections , and the recovery rates of over 0.119 and 0.112 to the symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals may make the numbers of the current symptomatic and asymptomatic infected individuals to decrease to very low levels in three months. (2) For the foreign input individuals9 epidemic, keeping the transmission rates of under 0.07 to the symptomatic and asymptomatic infections , and the recovery rates of over 0.125 and 0.099 to the symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals may make the numbers of the current symptomatic and asymptomatic infected individuals to decrease to very low levels in four months. (3) After December 6, 2022, decreasing the blocking rates of under 30% to the symptomatic and asymptomatic infections may cause over 1100 millions individuals9 COVID-19 infections and over 1 million COVID-19 infected individuals9 death. (4) It is necessary that administrations implement strict prevent and control strategies to prevent the spread of new COVID-19 variants.
Analysis of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) genomic sequences from household infections may provide useful epidemiological information for future control measures. Between December 2020 and July 2022, we conducted a case-ascertained household cohort study whereby households were recruited if a member was either a SARS-CoV-2 case or contact of a confirmed case. A total of 765 members of 214 households were prospectively monitored for SARS-CoV-2 infection and transmission. Follow-up visits collected a nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal (NP/OP) swab on days 1, 4 and 7 for RT-PCR diagnosis. If any of these were positive, further swabs were collected on days 10, 14, 21 and 28. Of 2,780 NP/OP swabs collected, 540 (19.4%) tested SARS-CoV-2 positive and viral genome sequences were recovered for 288 (53.3%) positive samples. The genomes belonged to 23 different Pango lineages. Phylogenetic analysis including contemporaneous Coastal Kenya data estimated 233 putative transmission events involving 162 members of the 89 households, of which 60 (25%) were intra-household transmission events while 173 (75%) were infections that likely occurred outside the households. In 34 (38%) households, multiple virus introductions were observed (up to six) within the one-month follow-up period, in contrast to high-income settings, where a single introduction seemed to occur during epidemic waves. Our findings suggests that in this setting control of respiratory virus spread by household member isolation will be ineffective.
MG Granules Improve COVID-19 Efficacy and Safety of Convalescent Exercise Tolerance - Condition: COVID-19
Intervention: Drug: Manzi Guben granules
Sponsors: Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University; The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University; Hangzhou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine; Suzhou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Not yet recruiting
Effects of Pilates in Patients With Post- -COVID-19 Syndrome: Controlled and Randomized Clinical Trial - Condition: COVID-19
Intervention: Procedure: Pilates Exercises
Sponsor: Michele de Aguiar Zacaria
Recruiting
Heterologous Booster Study of COVID-19 Protein Subunit Recombinant Vaccine in Children 12-17 Years of Age - Condition: COVID-19
Intervention: Biological: SARS-CoV-2 subunit protein recombinant vaccine
Sponsors: PT Bio Farma; Faculty of Medicine Universitas Padjadjaran
Not yet recruiting
Improving Adherence to COVID-19 Prevention Behaviours: Test of Persuasive Messages - Condition: COVID-19
Intervention: Behavioral: Persuasive Appeal
Sponsor: University of Calgary
Completed
Incidence of COVID-19 Following Vaccination in Botswana Against SARS CoV 2 - Condition: COVID-19
Intervention: Drug: AZD 1222
Sponsors: Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership; AstraZeneca; Botswana Ministry of Health
Completed
Study Evaluating GS-5245 in Nonhospitalized Participants With COVID-19 - Condition: COVID-19
Interventions: Drug: GS-5245; Drug: GS-5245 Placebo
Sponsor: Gilead Sciences
Not yet recruiting
A Study To Assess The Efficacy and Safety of HH-120 Nasal Spray for the Treatment of Mild COVID-19 - Condition: COVID-19
Interventions: Drug: HH-120 nasal spray; Drug: Placebo Comparator
Sponsor: Huahui Health
Recruiting
Study for Efficacy and Safety Assessment of the Drug RADAMIN®VIRO for COVID-19 Postexposure Prophylaxis - Condition: COVID-19
Interventions: Drug: Double-Stranded RNA sodium salt; Drug: Placebo
Sponsor: Promomed, LLC
Completed
Study of Flonoltinib Maleate Tablets in the Treatment of Severe Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection - Condition: COVID-19
Interventions: Drug: VV116+SOC; Drug: SOC
Sponsor: Chengdu Zenitar Biomedical Technology Co., Ltd
Recruiting
Study to Access the Efficacy and Safety of STI-1558 in Adult Subjects With Mild or Moderate (COVID-19) - Condition: COVID-19
Interventions: Drug: STI-1558; Drug: STI-1558 placebo
Sponsor: Zhejiang ACEA Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.
Not yet recruiting
Pirfenidone in Adult Hospitalized Patients With COVID-19 - Condition: COVID-19 Pneumonia
Interventions: Drug: Pirfenidone Oral Product; Drug: Pirfenidone placebo
Sponsor: Capital Medical University
Active, not recruiting
Efficacy and Safety of Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells in the Treatment of Long COVID-19 - Condition: Long COVID-19
Intervention: Biological: UC-MSCs
Sponsor: Shanghai East Hospital
Not yet recruiting
CONFIDENCE: a Multicomponent Clinic-based Intervention to Promote COVID-19 Vaccine Intention and Uptake Among Diverse Youth and Adolescents - Condition: COVID-19 Vaccination
Intervention: Behavioral: CONFIDENCE
Sponsors: University of Massachusetts, Worcester; Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC; Baystate Health
Not yet recruiting
Cognitive Rehabilitation for People With Cognitive Covid19 - Condition: Long Covid19
Intervention: Behavioral: Cognitive rehabilitation
Sponsors: University College, London; Bangor University; St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; University of Brighton; University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust; Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
Not yet recruiting
MGC Health COVID-19 & Flu A+B Home Multi Test Usability Study - Conditions: COVID-19; Influenza A; Influenza B
Interventions: Diagnostic Test: MGC Health COVID-19 & Flu A+B Home Multi Test; Diagnostic Test: MGC Health COVID-19 & Flu A+B Home Multi Test (2 to 13 y/o)
Sponsors: Medical Group Care, LLC; CSSi Life Sciences
Recruiting
Effect of DPP4/CD26 expression on SARS‑CoV‑2 susceptibility, immune response, adenosine (derivatives m62A and CD) regulations on patients with cancer and healthy individuals - The worldwide COVID‑19 pandemic was brought on by a new coronavirus (SARS Cov‑2). A marker/receptor called Dipeptidyl peptidase 4/CD26(DPP4/CD26) may be crucial in determining susceptibility to tumors and coronaviruses. However, the regulation of DPP4 in COVID‑invaded cancer patients and its role on small molecule compounds remain unclear. The present study used the Human Protein Atlas, Monaco, and Schmiedel databases to analyze the expression of DPP4 in human tissues and immune cells. The…
P2X7 purinergic receptor: A potential target in heart diseases (Review) - The P2X7 purinergic receptor (P2X7R) is a non‑selective cation channel activated by high levels of adenosine triphosphate that are commonly present in serious conditions. Activation of this purinergic receptor is closely related to the development of various disease states including inflammatory and neurodegenerative disorders, orthopedic diseases and types of cancer. Accumulating evidence has shown that the P2X7R plays a crucial role in the development of various heart diseases. For example,…
The OM-85 bacterial lysate: a new tool against SARS-CoV-2? - The emergence of SARS-CoV-2, a novel coronavirus, caused the global Coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Because SARS-CoV-2 mutates rapidly, vaccines that induce immune responses against viral components critical for target cell infection strongly mitigate but do not abrogate viral spread, and disease rates remain high worldwide. Complementary treatments are therefore needed to reduce the frequency and/or severity of SARS-CoV-2 infections. OM-85, a standardized lysate of 21 bacterial…
Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone Axis Inhibition Improves Outcome of Diabetic Patients with Chronic Hypertension and COVID-19: An Iranian Perspective - CONCLUSIONS: The current study suggests that ACE inhibitors and ARBs are associated with decreased mortality, ICU admission, and better ICU survival in the diabetic subgroup of hypertensive patients.
Nanoscale Interaction Mechanisms of Antiviral Activity - Nanomaterials have now found applications across all segments of society including but not limited to energy, environment, defense, agriculture, purification, food medicine, diagnostics, and others. The pandemic and the vulnerability of humankind to emerging viruses and other infectious diseases has renewed interest in nanoparticles as a potential new class of antivirals. In fact, a growing body of evidence in the literature suggests nanoparticles may have activity against multiple viruses…
Novel Investigational Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Agent Ensitrelvir “S-217622”: A Very Promising Potential Universal Broad-Spectrum Antiviral at the Therapeutic Frontline of Coronavirus Species - Lately, nitrogenous heterocyclic antivirals, such as nucleoside-like compounds, oxadiazoles, thiadiazoles, triazoles, quinolines, and isoquinolines, topped the therapeutic scene as promising agents of choice for the treatment of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections and their accompanying ailment, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). At the same time, the continuous emergence of new strains of SARS-CoV-2, like the Omicron variant and its multiple…
High SARS-CoV-2 tropism and activation of immune cells in the testes of non-vaccinated deceased COVID-19 patients - CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that high angiotensin II levels and activation of mast cells and macrophages may be critical for testicular pathogenesis. Importantly, our findings suggest that patients who become critically ill may exhibit severe alterations and harbor the active virus in the testes.
Effect of chitooligosaccharide on the inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 main protease - CONCLUSION: This study provides the theoretical basis to develop targeted Mpro inhibitors for the screening and application of anti-novel coronavirus drugs.
Novel dithiocarbamates selectively inhibit 3CL protease of SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses - Since end of 2019, the global and unprecedented outbreak caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 led to dramatic numbers of infections and deaths worldwide. SARS-CoV-2 produces two large viral polyproteins which are cleaved by two cysteine proteases encoded by the virus, the 3CL protease (3CL^(pro)) and the papain-like protease, to generate non-structural proteins essential for the virus life cycle. Both proteases are recognized as promising drug targets for the development of anti-coronavirus…
Screen for Modulation of Nucleocapsid Protein Condensation Identifies Small Molecules with Anti-Coronavirus Activity - Biomolecular condensates formed by liquid-liquid phase separation have been implicated in multiple diseases. Modulation of condensate dynamics by small molecules has therapeutic potential, but so far, few condensate modulators have been disclosed. The SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid (N) protein forms phase-separated condensates that are hypothesized to play critical roles in viral replication, transcription, and packaging, suggesting that N condensation modulators might have anti-coronavirus activity…
Synthesis, X-ray crystal structure, Hirshfeld surface analysis and computational investigation into the potential inhibitory action of novel 6-(p-tolyl)-2-((p-tolyl)thio)methyl-7H-[1.2.4]triazolo[5,1-b][1,3,4]thiadiazine inhibits the main protease of COVID-19 - In recent times, the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has now become a worldwide pandemic. With over 71 million confirmed cases, even though the effectiveness and side effects of the specific drugs and vaccines approved for this disease are still limited. Scientists and researchers from all across the world are working to find a vaccine and a cure for COVID-19 by using large-scale drug discovery and analysis….
The effect of vitamin C supplementation on favipiravir-induced oxidative stress and proinflammatory damage in livers and kidneys of rats - Favipiravir (FPV), an effective antiviral agent, is a drug used to treat influenza and COVID-19 by inhibiting the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) of RNA viruses. FPV has the potential to increase oxidative stress and organ damage. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the oxidative stress and inflammation caused by FPV in the liver and kidneys of rats, as well as to investigate the curative effects of vitamin C (VitC). A total of 40 Sprague-Dawley male rats were randomly and equally…
Supporting and inhibiting factors of accepting COVID-19 booster vaccination in the elderly in north Jakarta, Indonesia - CONCLUSIONS: Most of the elderly displayed positive attitudes concerning booster shots, but it was discovered that some barriers need to be removed.
Comparison of the mucosal and systemic antibody responses in Covid-19 recovered patients with one dose of mRNA vaccine and unexposed subjects with three doses of mRNA vaccines - CONCLUSION: The booster benefited all subjects to obtain neutralizing antibody (NAb) against omicron BA.1 variant in plasma while only the Covid-19 recovered subjects had an extra enrichment in nasal NAb against omicron BA.1 variant.
The development and validation of the pandemic medication-assisted treatment questionnaire for the assessment of pandemic crises impact on medication management and administration for patients with opioid use disorders - Pandemic and the globally applied restriction measures mainly affect vulnerable population groups, such as patients with opioid use disorders. Towards inhibiting SARS-Cov-2 spread, the medication-assisted treatment (MAT) programs follow strategies targeting the reduction of in-person psychosocial interventions and an increase of take-home doses. However, there is no available instrument to examine the impact of such modifications on diverse health aspects of patients under MAT. The aim of this…