Covid-19 Sentry

Contents

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

From Preprints

• Tick tick boom: The rise of child marriage in Indonesia during the COVID-19 pandemic -
  Introduction: Child marriage is a global phenomenon where one in six girls aged under 19 are married as child brides that are exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, in which girls are disproportionately affected by this practice. Therefore, this study aimed to provide reliable numbers of child marriages in Indonesia during the pandemic. Methods: Records from all 412 [Islamic] Religious Courts at the city/district level provided by the Supreme Court of The Republic of Indonesia were analysed, particularly the numbers of child marriage dispensation applications (bride and/or groom is below 19 years old) from 2019 to 2021. Results: New child marriage dispensation application numbers in 2019, 2020, and 2021 were 24,865, 64,225, and 62,890 cases, respectively, of which 2-4% of new applications were withdrawn every year. Up to 65% of new applications from 2019 to 2021 were consistently registered in six provinces in Java. However, the top-rank provinces with the rise of new applications in 2020 and 2021 when compared to records in 2019 were from outside Java, including Papua Barat, DI Aceh, Jambi, Maluku, Sulawesi Utara, Sumatera Barat, and Bengkulu. Conclusions: The child marriages in Indonesia skyrocketed by 2.5 times during the pandemic, represented by the rise of new child marriage dispensation applications to the Religious Courts between 2020 and 2021. Policy implications: Stakeholders should consider socio-economic and psycho-cultural factors in planning child marriage intervention programs during the pandemic, including involving local/religious leaders, tightening the marriage dispensation process, and prioritising areas with high percentages of poverty and the girl population.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Tick tick boom: The rise of child marriage in Indonesia during the COVID-19 pandemic
• Characterising patterns of COVID-19 and long COVID symptoms: Evidence from nine UK longitudinal studies -

  Multiple studies across global populations have established the primary symptoms characterising COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019) and long COVID. However, as symptoms may also occur in the absence of COVID-19, a lack of appropriate controls has often meant that specificity of symptoms to acute COVID-19 or long COVID, and the extent and length of time for which they are elevated after COVID-19, could not be examined. We analysed individual symptom prevalences and characterised patterns of COVID-19 and long COVID symptoms across nine UK longitudinal studies, totalling over 42,000 participants. Conducting latent class analyses separately in three groups (9no COVID-199, 9COVID-19 in last 12 weeks9, 9COVID-19 > 12 weeks ago9), the data did not support the presence of more than two distinct symptom patterns, representing high and low symptom burden, in each group. Comparing the high symptom burden classes between the 9COVID-19 in last 12 week,9 and 9no COVID-199 groups we identified symptoms characteristic of acute COVID-19, including loss of taste and smell, fatigue, cough, shortness of breath and muscle pains or aches. Comparing the high symptom burden classes between the 9COVID-19 > 12 weeks ago9 and 9no COVID-199 groups we identified symptoms characteristic of long COVID, including fatigue, shortness of breath, muscle pain or aches, difficulty concentrating and chest tightness. The identified symptom patterns among individuals with COVID-19 > 12 weeks ago were strongly associated with self-reported length of time unable to function as normal due to COVID-19 symptoms, suggesting that the symptom pattern identified corresponds to long COVID. Building the evidence base regarding typical long COVID symptoms will improve diagnosis of this condition and the ability to elicit underlying biological mechanisms, leading to better patient access to treatment and services.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Characterising patterns of COVID-19 and long COVID symptoms: Evidence from nine UK longitudinal studies
• Cohort Profile: Longitudinal population-based study of COVID-19 in UK adults (COVIDENCE UK) -

  Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is estimated to have caused more than 18 million deaths worldwide as of end-May 2022. Methods: COVIDENCE UK is a longitudinal population-based study that investigates risk factors for, and impacts of, COVID-19 in UK residents aged ≥16 years. A unique feature is the capacity to support trial-within-cohort studies to evaluate interventions for prevention of COVID-19 and other acute respiratory illnesses. Participants complete a detailed online baseline questionnaire capturing self-reported information relating to their socio-demographic characteristics, occupation, lifestyle, quality of life, weight, height, longstanding medical conditions, medication use, vaccination status, diet and supplemental micronutrient intake. Follow-up on-line questionnaires capturing incident symptoms of COVID-19 and other acute respiratory infections, incident swab test-confirmed COVID-19, doses of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine received, and quality of life are completed at monthly intervals. Results: The study was launched on 1st May 2020 and closed to recruitment on 6th October 2021. A total of 19,981 participants enrolled and consented to 5-year follow-up with medical record linkage. Their mean age was 59.1 years (range 16.0 to 94.4 years), 70.2% were female, and 93.7% identified their ethnic origin as White. Analyses conducted to date have provided key insights into risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 disease, determinants of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine immunogenicity and efficacy, and impacts of COVID-19 on health economic outcomes. The cohort has also supported conduct of a Phase 3 randomised trial-within-cohort study (CORONAVIT) evaluating implementation of a test-and-treat approach to correcting sub-optimal vitamin D status on incidence and severity of acute respiratory infections, including COVID-19. Conclusions: The COVIDENCE UK dataset represents a valuable resource containing granular information on factors influencing susceptibility to, and impacts of, COVID-19 in UK adults. Researchers wishing to access anonymised participant-level data should contacting the corresponding author for further information.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Cohort Profile: Longitudinal population-based study of COVID-19 in UK adults (COVIDENCE UK)
• Temporal trends in COVID-19 outcomes among patients with systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases: From the first wave to Omicron -

  Objectives: To investigate temporal trends in incidence and severity of COVID-19 among patients with systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases (SARDs) from the first wave through the Omicron wave. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study investigating COVID-19 outcomes among SARD patients systematically identified to have confirmed COVID-19 from March 1, 2020 to January 31, 2022 at a large healthcare system in Massachusetts. We tabulated COVID-19 counts of total and severe cases (hospitalizations or deaths) and compared the proportion with severe COVID-19 by calendar period and by vaccination status. We used logistic regression to estimate the ORs for severe COVID-19 for each period compared to the early COVID-19 period (reference group). Results: We identified 1449 SARD patients with COVID-19 (mean age 58.4 years, 75.2% female, 33.9% rheumatoid arthritis). There were 399 (27.5%) cases of severe COVID-19. The proportion of severe COVID-19 outcomes declined over calendar time (p for trend <0.001); 45.6% of cases were severe in the early COVID-19 period (March 1-June 30, 2020) vs. 14.7% in the Omicron wave (December 17, 2021-January 31, 2022; adjusted odds ratio 0.29, 95%CI 0.19-0.43). A higher proportion of those unvaccinated were severe compared to not severe cases (78.4% vs. 59.5%). Conclusions: The proportion of SARD patients with severe COVID-19 has diminished since early in the pandemic, particularly during the most recent time periods, including the Omicron wave. Advances in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of COVID-19 may have improved outcomes among SARD patients.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Temporal trends in COVID-19 outcomes among patients with systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases: From the first wave to Omicron
• How skeptics could be convinced (not persuaded) to get vaccinated against COVID-19 -
  Central to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic strategy, COVID-19 vaccination depends on the population’s uptake decisions. Because at least 60% of the population needs to be vaccinated, but fewer, for example, in Germany are expected to do so, it is important to know how to convince those who are undecided or skeptical. According to the health care standard of enabling citizens to make informed decisions based on balanced information (boosting) – instead of persuasion or seduction (nudging) – a comparison of benefits and harms of having or not having the vaccination would be required to inform these groups. With the help of a representative survey, we investigated the contribution of fact boxes, an established intervention format for informed intentions. Study 1 shows the development of knowledge and evaluation of COVID-19 vaccinations by German citizens between Nov 2020 and Feb 2021. Study 2 reveals objective information needs and subjective information requirements of those laypeople at the end of Nov. Study 3 shows that the fact box format is effective for risk communication about COVID-19. Based on these insights, a fact box on the efficacy and safety of mRNA-vaccines was implemented with the help of a national health authority. Study 4 shows that fact boxes increase vaccination knowledge and positive evaluations of the benefit-harm ratio of vaccination in skeptics and undecideds. Our results demonstrate that simple fact boxes can be an effective boost of informed decision making among undecided and skeptical people, and that informed decisions can lead to more positive vaccination evaluations of the public.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: How skeptics could be convinced (not persuaded) to get vaccinated against COVID-19
• Unpacking the black box: Empirical evidence to understand the human factor for effective rapid testing against SARS-CoV2 -
  SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen point-of-care (PoC) and home tests are available to laypeople. This raises questions regarding the drivers and barriers of people’s willingness to use tests, their understanding of test results and the psychological and behavioural consequences of positive and negative test results. Four cross-sectional data collections, including survey items, open text answers and three experiments, were therefore conducted between December 2020 and March 2021, involving 4,026 German participants. The majority was willing to use PoC or home tests. People will be more likely to use tests when they are inexpensive and easy to use or when they are a necessary (given low infection rates) for obtaining access to public and social life. However, people urgently need information about what a test result means and how they should behave. Recommendations based on the present findings could make rapid testing a successful pillar of pandemic management.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Unpacking the black box: Empirical evidence to understand the human factor for effective rapid testing against SARS-CoV2
• Relationship Between Foreign Direct Investment Growth and Economic Growth in 2009-2020 -
  Research on the relationship between investment growth and economic growth aims to determine the effect of Foreign Direct Investment in Indonesia on economic growth in 2009-2020. This research method uses quantitative methods with secondary data collected from various digital sources. The growth of foreign investment in Indonesia in 2009-2020 tends to be volatile and unstable. On the other hand, economic growth experienced stable growth throughout 2009-2020, although there was a decline in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Based on the results of this study, it shows that the growth of Foreign Direct Investment in 2009-2020 does not significantly affect economic growth in Indonesia.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Relationship Between Foreign Direct Investment Growth and Economic Growth in 2009-2020
• The Emotional Anatomy of Lockdown -
  Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, policy makers have tried to balance the effectiveness of lockdowns (or stay-at-home orders) with their potential mental health costs. Yet, two years into the pandemic, we are still lacking solid evidence about the emotional toll of lockdowns. Across two intensive longitudinal datasets with 14,511 observations collected in Australia in 2021 (total N = 441), we compare the degree, persistence, and regulation of people’s emotions on days in and out of lockdown. We find that lockdowns take an emotional toll, but that this toll is relatively mild. In lockdown, people experienced slightly more negative and slightly less positive emotion; returned to a mildly negative emotional state more quickly; and used low-effort emotion regulation strategies. We conclude that people are resilient to the challenges lockdowns pose to personal and social well-being.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: The Emotional Anatomy of Lockdown
• Relationship Between Foreign Direct Investment Growth and Economic Growth in 2009-2020 -
  Research on the relationship between investment growth and economic growth aims to determine the effect of Foreign Direct Investment in Indonesia on economic growth in 2009-2020. This research method uses quantitative methods with secondary data collected from various digital sources. The growth of foreign investment in Indonesia in 2009-2020 tends to be volatile and unstable. On the other hand, economic growth experienced stable growth throughout 2009-2020, although there was a decline in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Based on the results of this study, it shows that the growth of Foreign Direct Investment in 2009-2020 does not significantly affect economic growth in Indonesia.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Relationship Between Foreign Direct Investment Growth and Economic Growth in 2009-2020
• RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT GROWTH AND ECONOMIC GROWTH IN 2009-2020 -
  Research on the relationship between investment growth and economic growth aims to determine the effect of Foreign Direct Investment in Indonesia on economic growth in 2009-2020. This research method uses quantitative methods with secondary data collected from various digital sources. The growth of foreign investment in Indonesia in 2009-2020 tends to be volatile and unstable. On the other hand, economic growth experienced stable growth throughout 2009-2020, although there was a decline in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Based on the results of this study, it shows that the growth of Foreign Direct Investment in 2009-2020 does not significantly affect economic growth in Indonesia.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT GROWTH AND ECONOMIC GROWTH IN 2009-2020
• Relationship Between Foreign Direct Investment Growth and Economic Growth in 2009-2020 -
  Research on the relationship between investment growth and economic growth aims to determine the effect of Foreign Direct Investment in Indonesia on economic growth in 2009-2020. This research method uses quantitative methods with secondary data collected from various digital sources. The growth of foreign investment in Indonesia in 2009-2020 tends to be volatile and unstable. On the other hand, economic growth experienced stable growth throughout 2009-2020, although there was a decline in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Based on the results of this study, it shows that the growth of Foreign Direct Investment in 2009-2020 does not significantly affect economic growth in Indonesia.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Relationship Between Foreign Direct Investment Growth and Economic Growth in 2009-2020
• Efficient direct and limited environmental transmission of SARS-CoV-2 lineage B.1.22 in domestic cats -
  Susceptibility of domestic cats for infection with SARS-CoV-2 has been demonstrated by several experimental studies and field observations. We performed an extensive study to further characterize transmission of SARS-CoV-2 between cats, both by direct contact as well as by indirect contact. To that end, we estimated the transmission rate parameter and the decay parameter for infectivity in the environment. Using four groups of pair-transmission experiment, all donor (inoculated) cats became infected, shed virus and seroconverted, while three out of four direct contact cats got infected, shed virus and two of those seroconverted. One out of eight cats exposed to a SARS-CoV-2-contaminated environment became infected but did not seroconvert. Statistical analysis of the transmission data gives a reproduction number R0 of 2.18 (95% CI: (0.92-4.08), a transmission rate parameter {beta} of 0.23 day-1 (95% CI: 0.06-0.54), and a virus decay rate parameter of 2.73 day-1 (95% CI: 0.77-15.82). These data indicate that transmission between cats can be sustained (R0>1), however, infectiousness of a contaminated environment decays rapidly (mean duration of infectiousness 1/2.73 days). Infections of cats via exposure to a SARS-CoV-2-contaminated environment cannot be excluded if cats are exposed shortly after contamination.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Efficient direct and limited environmental transmission of SARS-CoV-2 lineage B.1.22 in domestic cats
• Compensatory epistasis maintains ACE2 affinity in SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.1 -
  The Omicron BA.1 variant emerged in late 2021 and quickly spread across the world. Compared to the ancestral Wuhan Hu-1 strain and other pre-Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variants, BA.1 has many mutations, a number of which are known to enable antibody escape. Many of these antibody-escape mutations individually decrease the spike receptor-binding domain (RBD) affinity for ACE2 in the background of early SARS-CoV-2 variants, but BA.1 still binds ACE2 with high affinity. The fitness and evolution of the BA.1 lineage is therefore driven by the combined effects of numerous mutations. Here, we systematically map the epistatic interactions between the 15 mutations in the RBD of BA.1 relative to the Wuhan Hu-1 strain. Specifically, we measure the ACE2 affinity of all possible combinations of these 15 mutations (215 = 32,768 genotypes), spanning all possible evolutionary intermediates from the ancestral Wuhan Hu-1 strain to BA.1. We find that immune escape mutations in BA.1 individually reduce ACE2 affinity but are compensated by epistatic interactions with other affinity-enhancing mutations, including Q498R and N501Y. Thus, the ability of BA.1 to evade immunity while maintaining ACE2 affinity is contingent on acquiring multiple interacting mutations. Our results implicate compensatory epistasis as a key factor driving substantial evolutionary change for SARS-CoV-2 and are consistent with Omicron BA.1 arising from a chronic infection.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Compensatory epistasis maintains ACE2 affinity in SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.1
• A patient-centric characterization of systemic recovery from SARS-CoV-2 infection -

  The biology driving individual patient responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection remains ill understood. Here, we developed a patient-centric framework leveraging detailed longitudinal phenotyping data, covering a year post disease onset, from 215 SARS-CoV-2 infected subjects with differing disease severities. Our analyses revealed distinct “systemic recovery” profiles with specific progression and resolution of the inflammatory, immune, metabolic and clinical responses, over weeks to several months after infection. In particular, we found a strong intra-patient temporal covariation of innate immune cell numbers, kynurenine- and host lipid-metabolites, which suggested candidate immunometabolic pathways putatively influencing restoration of homeostasis, the risk of death and of long COVID. Based on these data, we identified a composite signature predictive of systemic recovery on the patient level, using a joint model on cellular and molecular parameters measured soon after disease onset. New predictions can be generated using the online tool http://shiny.mrc-bsu.cam.ac.uk/apps/covid-systemic-recovery-prediction-app, designed to test our findings prospectively.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: A patient-centric characterization of systemic recovery from SARS-CoV-2 infection
• An update on oral clinical courses among patients with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection: A clinical follow-up (a prospective prevalent cohort) study -

  Abstract Introduction Contemporary literature has revealed that Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes acute sialadenitis and related symptoms, such as discomfort, pain, swelling, and secretory dysfunction in salivary glands. The secretory dysfunction is due to SARS-CoV-2 infection-induced xerostomia and other associated clinical courses such as sore tongue, mucosal ulcer, and gingivitis in the oral cavity. Furthermore, it has been reported that COVID-19 causes the development of other oral manifestations. Materials and Methods A prospective clinical follow-up (a prevalent cohort) study was conducted to identify the possible oral manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 infection among patients admitted at the Eka General Hospital COVID-19 treatment center. Furthermore, the study aimed to calculate the prevalence rate of oral clinical courses in the cohorts. The study had two follow-up phases: Hospital and patient-home-based.   Results A total of 55 patients (36 males and 19 females) met the inclusion criteria and were followed for 7.5 weeks. The 3.5 weeks’ hospital-based prospective follow-up study documented an 18% (n=10) prevalence rate of oral clinical courses among the cohorts. Twelve oral symptoms appeared in these ten patients. The manifested oral symptoms were oral mucosal lesions (n=6), xerostomia (n=5), and thickening of saliva (n=1). The oral mucosal lesions per se consisted of aphthous lesions (n=3), candidiasis (n=1), geographic tongue (n=1), and localized gingivitis (n=1). On the other hand, the four weeks’ home-based follow-up study disclosed four newly manifested oral symptoms: hemorrhagic crust, bulla, buccal mucositis, and petechiae. These manifestations appeared among six patients (four males and two females) who had not manifested any oral symptoms during the hospital-based follow-up. Accordingly, the overall prevalence of oral clinical courses among patients presented with SARS-CoV-2 is raised from 18% (n=10) to 29% (n=16). Similarly, the number of clinical courses increased from 12 to 16 after four additional weeks of follow-up. Discussion The study9s findings suggest the importance of initiating oral health care for patients with COVID-19. Therefore, multidisciplinary healthcare approaches should be delivered to assure optimal health outcomes. Accordingly, oral health professionals must be a substantial part of the interdisciplinary approach in caring for patients with COVID-19.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: An update on oral clinical courses among patients with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection: A clinical follow-up (a prospective prevalent cohort) study

From Clinical Trials

• Phase I Clinical Trial of GEN2-Recombinant COVID-19 Vaccine (CHO Cells) in Healthy People Aged 18 and Above - Condition:   COVID-19 Pneumonia
  Interventions:   Biological: Experimental Vaccine 1;   Biological: Experimental Vaccine 2;   Biological: Experimental Vaccine 3;   Biological: placebo
  Sponsors:   National Vaccine and Serum Institute, China;   Lanzhou Institute of Biological Products Co., Ltd;   Beijing Institute of Biological Products Co Ltd.
  Not yet recruiting

• COVID-19 Algorithm Treatment at Home - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Drug: Recommended treatment schedule;   Drug: Usual care
  Sponsor:   Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research
  Not yet recruiting

• Immunosuppression and COVID-19 Boosters - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Biological: diphtheria and tetanus toxoids (adsorbed) vaccine;   Biological: COVID-19 vaccine
  Sponsors:   Kirby Institute;   Seqirus Pty Ltd, Australia;   Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF)
  Not yet recruiting

• Epidemiological Monitoring of COVID-19 Patients Hospitalized on Reunion Island - Condition:   COVID-19
  Intervention:   Other: telephone interview 24 months after hospitalization for Covid-19
  Sponsor:   Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de la Réunion
  Not yet recruiting

• Immunogenicity and Safety Study of Booster Vaccine With the COVID-19 Vaccine (Vero Cell), Inactivated, Omicron Strain - Condition:   COVID-19
  Intervention:   Biological: COVID-19 Vaccine (Vero Cell), Inactivated, Omicron Strain
  Sponsor:   Sinovac Biotech (Hong Kong) Limited
  Not yet recruiting

• Plerixafor in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Related to COVID-19 (Phase IIb) - Conditions:   COVID-19 Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome;   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Drug: Plerixafor 20 MG/ML [Mozobil];   Other: Placebo
  Sponsor:   4Living Biotech
  Not yet recruiting

• Effect of COVID-19 on Platelet Mitochondrial Bioenergetic, Antioxidants and Oxidative Stress in Infertile Men. - Condition:   Men Infertility, Post-COVID-19
  Intervention:   Other: diagnostic test and sperm analysis
  Sponsors:   Comenius University;   GYN-FIV
  Active, not recruiting

• Calcitriol Supplementation in COVID-19 Patients - Conditions:   COVID-19;   Vitamin D Deficiency
  Intervention:   Drug: Calcitriol
  Sponsor:   RenJi Hospital
  Not yet recruiting

• Olfactory Training in COVID-19 Associated Loss of Smell - Conditions:   COVID-19;   Hyposmia
  Intervention:   Device: Sniffin’ sticks Duftquartett
  Sponsor:   Medical University Innsbruck
  Not yet recruiting

• Psychological Impact of Medical Evacuations on Families of Patients Admitted to Intensive Care Unit for Severe COVID-19 - Conditions:   COVID-19;   Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
  Interventions:   Other: Revised Impact of Event Scale;   Other: Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale;   Other: 36-Item Short Form Survey;   Other: satisfaction survey;   Other: semi-directed interview with trusted person on the general experience of the patient’s medical evacuation;   Other: semi-directed interview with trusted person on the general experience of hospitalization in intensive care
  Sponsor:   Centre Hospitalier Metropole Savoie
  Completed

• Effects of Telerehabilitative Aerobic and Relaxation Exercises Patients With Type 2 Diabetes With and Without COVID-19 - Conditions:   COVID-19;   Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
  Intervention:   Other: Aerobic and Relaxation Exercises
  Sponsor:   Bozyaka Training and Research Hospital
  Active, not recruiting

• COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake Trial - Conditions:   Vaccination Refusal;   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Other: Short Message Service (SMS) + Website Link Strategy;   Other: Phone Call with Peer Strategy
  Sponsor:   Washington University School of Medicine
  Not yet recruiting

• Cardiovascular Autonomic and Immune Mechanism of Post COVID-19 Tachycardia Syndrome - Conditions:   Post-acute COVID-19 Syndrome;   Postural Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS);   Long COVID;   SARS CoV 2 Infection
  Interventions:   Diagnostic Test: Determine the inflammatory and immune profile of post-COVID-19 POTS patients;   Diagnostic Test: Measurement of PNS activity by HRV (Heart rate Variation);   Diagnostic Test: Autonomic Symptoms assessment
  Sponsors:   Vanderbilt University Medical Center;   American Heart Association
  Recruiting

• Inhibition of Bradykinin in COVID-19 Infection With Icatibant - Condition:   SARS CoV 2 Infection
  Interventions:   Drug: Icatibant;   Drug: 0.9% Sodium Chloride Injection
  Sponsors:   Belfast Health and Social Care Trust;   Queen’s University, Belfast
  Recruiting

• STEP-COVID: A Program for Pregnant Women During the COVID-19 Pandemic - Conditions:   Psychological;   Mental Health Issue;   Prenatal Stress;   Maternal Distress;   COVID-19 Pandemic
  Intervention:   Behavioral: STEP-COVID
  Sponsors:   Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières;   Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC);   Canada Research Chairs Endowment of the Federal Government of Canada
  Active, not recruiting

From PubMed

• The Bioactivities of Phycocyanobilin from Spirulina - Phycocyanobilin (PCB) is a linear open-chain tetrapyrrole chromophore that captures and senses light and a variety of biological activities, such as anti-oxidation, anti-cancer, and anti-inflammatory. In this paper, the biological activities of PCB are reviewed, and the related mechanism of PCB and its latest application in disease treatment are introduced. PCB can resist oxidation by scavenging free radicals, inhibiting the activity of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH)…

• Ivermectin for preventing and treating COVID-19 - BACKGROUND: Ivermectin, an antiparasitic agent, inhibits the replication of viruses in vitro. The molecular hypothesis of ivermectin’s antiviral mode of action suggests an inhibitory effect on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) replication in early stages of infection. Currently, evidence on ivermectin for prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 treatment is conflicting.

• Establishment of well-differentiated camelid airway cultures to study Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus - In 2012, Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) emerged in Saudi Arabia and was mostly associated with severe respiratory illness in humans. Dromedary camels are the zoonotic reservoir for MERS-CoV. To investigate the biology of MERS-CoV in camelids, we developed a well-differentiated airway epithelial cell (AEC) culture model for Llama glama and Camelus bactrianus. Histological characterization revealed progressive epithelial cellular differentiation with well-resemblance to…

• Severe case of refractory immune thrombocytopenic purpura requiring splenectomy after the COVID-19 vaccine - Immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is an autoimmune disorder caused by autoantibodies against platelet antigens resulting in platelet destruction and inhibition of platelet production. Occasionally, an inciting event such as a virus or vaccination can precipitate ITP. Several cases of ITP have been reported after the BTN162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) and mRNA-1273 (Moderna) SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) vaccines. All reported cases of post-vaccination ITP have resolved with medical therapy until this case.A…

• ROS-responsive polymer nanoparticles with enhanced loading of dexamethasone effectively modulate the lung injury microenvironment - The acute lung injury (ALI) is an inflammatory disorder associated with cytokine storm, which activates various reactive oxygen species (ROS) signaling pathways and causes severe complications in patients as currently seen in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). There is an urgent need for medication of the inflammatory lung environment and effective delivery of drugs to lung to reduce the burden of high doses of medications and attenuate inflammatory cells and pathways. Herein, we prepared…

• The pharmacokinetic property and pharmacological activity of acteoside: A review - Acteoside (AC), a phenylpropanoid glycoside isolated from many dicotyledonous plants, has been demonstrated various pharmacological activities, including anti-oxidation, anti-inflammation, anti-cancer, neuroprotection, cardiovascular protection, anti-diabetes, bone and cartilage protection, hepatoprotection, and anti-microorganism. However, AC has a poor bioavailability, which can be potentially improved by different strategies. The health-promoting characteristics of AC can be attributed to its…

• Specificity and Confirmation of SARS-CoV-2 Serological Test Methods in Emergency Department Populations Across the United States in 2019 and Early 2020 - CONCLUSIONS: The specificity of the serological assays evaluated in a large diverse emergency department population was >99% and did not vary by geographical site. A confirmatory algorithm with an automated pseudo-neutralization assay allowed testing on the same specimen while reducing the false positivity rate and increasing the value of serology screening methods.

• Host Kinase CSNK2 is a Target for Inhibition of Pathogenic SARS-like β-Coronaviruses - Inhibition of the protein kinase CSNK2 with any of 30 specific and selective inhibitors representing different chemotypes, blocked replication of pathogenic human, bat, and murine β-coronaviruses. The potency of in-cell CSNK2A target engagement across the set of inhibitors correlated with antiviral activity and genetic knockdown confirmed the essential role of the CSNK2 holoenzyme in β-coronavirus replication. Spike protein endocytosis was blocked by CSNK2A inhibition, indicating that antiviral…

• Transcription of the Envelope Protein by 1-L Protein-RNA Recognition Code Leads to Genes/Proteins That Are Relevant to the SARS-CoV-2 Life Cycle and Pathogenesis - The theoretical protein-RNA recognition code was used in this study to research the compatibility of the SARS-CoV-2 envelope protein (E) with mRNAs in the human transcriptome. According to a review of the literature, the spectrum of identified genes showed that the virus post-transcriptionally promotes or represses the genes involved in the SARS-CoV-2 life cycle. The identified genes/proteins are also involved in adaptive immunity, in the function of the cilia and wound healing (EMT and MET) in…

• Humoral and Cellular Responses to BNT162b2 as a Booster Following Two Doses of ChAdOx1 nCov-19 Determined Using Three SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Assays and an Interferon-Gamma Release Assay: A Prospective Longitudinal Study in Healthcare Workers - Data on humoral and cellular responses to BNT162b2 as a booster dose, following two doses of ChAdOx1 nCov-19 vaccine, have seldom been reported. The aim of this study was to assess the positivity rates of three representative antibody assays targeting total, IgG, and neutralizing antibodies, and an interferon-γ release assay (IGRA), and to determine the longitudinal changes in quantitative antibody titers after each vaccination. A total of 1027 samples were collected from healthcare workers. The…

• Mechanism of CK2 Inhibition by a Ruthenium-Based Polyoxometalate - CK2 is a Ser/Thr protein kinase involved in many cellular processes such as gene expression, cell cycle progression, cell growth and differentiation, embryogenesis, and apoptosis. Aberrantly high CK2 activity is widely documented in cancer, but the enzyme is also involved in several other pathologies, such as diabetes, inflammation, neurodegeneration, and viral infections, including COVID-19. Over the last years, a large number of small-molecules able to inhibit the CK2 activity have been…

• Calcium bicarbonate as an antimicrobial, antiviral, and prion-inhibiting agent (Review) - Calcium bicarbonate does not act as a disinfectant at neutral pH; however, it exerts strong antimicrobial activity after it is placed in a high-voltage electric field, whereby it assumes an alkaline pH (12.4). Moreover, the microbicidal activity of the resulting solution (named CAC-717) is not influenced by the presence of organic material or resistance of the agent to inactivation. When sprayed on the skin surface, the pH of CAC-717 decreases rapidly to 8.84. CAC-717 comprises fine particles of…

• Streptomyces BAC Cloning of a Large-Sized Biosynthetic Gene Cluster of NPP B1, a Potential SARS-CoV-2 RdRp Inhibitor - As valuable antibiotics, microbial natural products have been in use for decades in various fields. Among them are polyene compounds including nystatin, amphotericin, and nystatin-like Pseudonocardia polyenes (NPPs). Polyene macrolides are known to possess various biological effects, such as antifungal and antiviral activities. NPP A1, which is produced by Pseudonocardia autotrophica, contains a unique disaccharide moiety in the tetraene macrolide backbone. NPP B1, with a heptane structure and…

• In vitro study on efficacy of PHELA, an African traditional drug against SARS-CoV-2 - In 2019, coronavirus has made the third apparition in the form of SARS-CoV-2, a novel strain of coronavirus that is extremely pathogenic and it uses the same receptor as SARS-CoV, the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). However, more than 182 vaccine candidates have been announced; and 12 vaccines have been approved for use, although, even vaccinated individuals are still vulnerable to infection. In this study, we investigated PHELA, recognized as an herbal combination of four exotic African…

• Identification of potent inhibitors of arenavirus and SARS-CoV-2 exoribonucleases by fluorescence polarization assay - Viral exoribonucleases are uncommon in the world of RNA viruses. To date, they have only been identified in the Arenaviridae and the Coronaviridae families. The exoribonucleases of these viruses play a crucial role in the pathogenicity and interplay with host innate immune response. Moreover, coronaviruses exoribonuclease is also involved in a proofreading mechanism ensuring the genetic stability of the viral genome. Because of their key roles in virus life cycle, they constitute attractive…

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