Covid-19 Sentry

Contents

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

From Preprints

• Educational Assessment Experiences of College Students during COVID-19 -
  To better understand the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on today’s college students and tomorrow’s workforce, a survey was administered to 992 U.S. college students (Meanage=22.36 years, SDage=5.24; %female=53.3) between February and June 2021 on academic assessment practices they experienced before and after COVID-19. Females reported greater test anxiety and lower computer self-efficacy; neither varied based on race/ethnicity nor parental education. Most reported a transition to an online modality during the COVID-19 outbreak with a decrease in classroom assessments. Though classroom assessment formats appeared to change minimally, assessment administration changed markedly during the pandemic-affected period. Untimed and open-book assessments became more common. Assessments administered in-class and in-person proctored became less frequent. Interestingly, during spring 2021, as many colleges returned to in-person instruction, open-book, outside of class, and exams proctored online or unproctored remained common, suggesting a persistent shift in assessment administration practices. Students generally did not feel that exams covered any less content, however cheating was a concern. Most indicated it was difficult to concentrate and reported the idea of taking an exam was stressful during the pandemic, though many still believed that it is important to have assessments to demonstrate learning. Some noted they no longer planned to take certain standardized exams (e.g., GRE) given changes in admission requirements of post-baccalaureate academic programs. Some felt deterred from pursuing further education, yet others felt more inclined given perceptions of a highly competitive job market. Implications of these findings are discussed.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Educational Assessment Experiences of College Students during COVID-19
• Self-Employment among Graduates during the Covid-19 Pandemic: Necessity or Opportunity Entrepreneurship Driven -
  The Covid-19 pandemic has caused a profound and damaging impact on the global economy, including the rise in unemployment. One of the significant trends that emerged from the pandemic is the decline of graduate recruitment volumes due to the closure of several business activities among employers. As a result, more graduates are likely difficult to enter the labour market and not able to earn a living. In Malaysia, the government and universities have put concerted efforts to inculcate entrepreneurial mindset and competencies among graduates, intending to prepare them with entrepreneurial qualities to become independent and resourceful graduates. This study explores to what extend the Covid-19 pandemic has influenced the graduates of the Entrepreneurship Program in Universiti Malaysia Sabah to become self-employed,after 6 months of their graduation, and what drives their choices. The results of 108 graduates found that more than half of them choose for self-employment after graduation during the pandemic, mainly take up their own business and perceived themselves as opportunity-driven (to take advantage of business opportunities), while the remaining are necessity-driven (to help family, to earn money, lack of other options). The study also provides insights that venturing into entrepreneurial activities is a significant strategy for livelihood among graduates. This paper would shed light for further studies on the influence of opportunity and necessity motivation towards entrepreneurial opportunity among graduates.The results of 108 graduates found that more than half of them choose for self-employment after graduation during the pandemic, mainly take up their own business and perceived themselves as opportunity-driven (to take advantage of business opportunities), while the remaining are necessity-driven (to help family, to earn money, lack of other options). The study also provides insights that venturing into entrepreneurial activities is a significant strategy for livelihood among graduates. This paper would shed light for further studies on the influence of opportunity and necessity motivation towards entrepreneurial opportunity among graduates.The results of 108 graduates found that more than half of them choose for self-employment after graduation during the pandemic, mainly take up their own business and perceived themselves as opportunity-driven (to take advantage of business opportunities), while the remaining are necessity-driven (to help family, to earn money, lack of other options). The study also provides insights that venturing into entrepreneurial activities is a significant strategy for livelihood among graduates. This paper would shed light for further studies on the influence of opportunity and necessity motivation towards entrepreneurial opportunity among graduates.to earn money, lack of other options). The study also provides insights that venturing into entrepreneurial activities is a significant strategy for livelihood among graduates. This paper would shed light for further studies on the influence of opportunity and necessity motivation towards entrepreneurial opportunity among graduates.to earn money, lack of other options). The study also provides insights that venturing into entrepreneurial activities is a significant strategy for livelihood among graduates. This paper would shed light for further studies on the influence of opportunity and necessity motivation towards entrepreneurial opportunity among graduates.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Self-Employment among Graduates during the Covid-19 Pandemic: Necessity or Opportunity Entrepreneurship Driven
• SARS-CoV-2 Viral Genes Compromise Survival and Functions of Human Pluripotent Stem Cell-derived Cardiomyocytes via Reducing Cellular ATP Level -
  Cardiac manifestations are commonly observed in COVID-19 patients and prominently contributed to overall mortality. Human myocardium could be infected by SARS-CoV-2, and human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hPSC-CMs) are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, molecular mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 gene-induced injury and dysfunction of human CMs remain elusive. Here, we find overexpression of three SARS-CoV-2 coding genes, Nsp6, Nsp8 and M, could globally compromise transcriptome of hPSC-CMs. Integrated transcriptomic analyses of hPSC-CMs infected by SARS-CoV-2 with hPSC-CMs of Nsp6, Nsp8 or M overexpression identified concordantly activated genes enriched into apoptosis and immune/inflammation responses, whereas reduced genes related to heart contraction and functions. Further, Nsp6, Nsp8 or M overexpression induce prominent apoptosis and electrical dysfunctions of hPSC-CMs. Global interactome analysis find Nsp6, Nsp8 and M all interact with ATPase subunits, leading to significantly reduced cellular ATP level of hPSC-CMs. Finally, we find two FDA-approved drugs, ivermectin and meclizine, could enhance the ATP level, and ameliorate cell death and dysfunctions of hPSC-CMs overexpressing Nsp6, Nsp8 or M. Overall, we uncover the global detrimental impacts of SARS-CoV-2 genes Nsp6, Nsp8 and M on the whole transcriptome and interactome of hPSC-CMs, define the crucial role of ATP level reduced by SARS-CoV-2 genes in CM death and functional abnormalities, and explore the potentially pharmaceutical approaches to ameliorate SARS-CoV-2 genes-induced CM injury and abnormalities.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: SARS-CoV-2 Viral Genes Compromise Survival and Functions of Human Pluripotent Stem Cell-derived Cardiomyocytes via Reducing Cellular ATP Level
• A Cross-Country Analysis of the Effectiveness of COVID-19 Vaccines in Reducing Mortality Rates within the EU -

  We use a linear mixed model in order to estimate the effect of the number of people vaccinated against COVID-19 on the overall death toll on a monthly basis. We limit our analysis for the duration of the year 2021 and within 25 countries which are current or former (UK) members of the EU since these countries follow similar approaches to testing and reporting different COVID-19 related statistics. We explored the effect in question by comparing the total number of people vaccinated up to the end of each month and the total number of deaths occurring during the next month while controlling for several measures including number of new COVID-19 cases, diabetes prevalence, cardio vascular death rates and time trends among others. Our results indicated that one percentage point monthly increase in the total number of vaccinated people was associated, on average, with a decrease of two deaths per general population of 1 million for the next month with the effect being highly significant.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: A Cross-Country Analysis of the Effectiveness of COVID-19 Vaccines in Reducing Mortality Rates within the EU
• Diminished neutralization responses towards SARS-CoV-2 Omicron VoC after mRNA or vector-based COVID-19 vaccinations -

  SARS-CoV-2 variants accumulating immune escape mutations provide a significant risk to vaccine-induced protection. The novel variant of concern (VoC) Omicron (B.1.1.529) has the largest number of amino acid alterations in its Spike protein to date. Thus, it may efficiently escape recognition by neutralizing antibodies, allowing breakthrough infections in convalescent and vaccinated individuals. We analyzed neutralization activity of sera from individuals after vaccination with all mRNA-, vector- or heterologous immunization schemes currently available in Europe by in vitro neutralization assay at peak response towards SARS-CoV-2 B.1, Omicron, Beta and Delta pseudotypes and also provide longitudinal follow-up data from BNT162b2 vaccinees. All vaccines apart from Ad26.CoV2.S showed high levels of responder rates (93-100%) towards SARS-CoV-2 wild-type, but some reductions in neutralizing Beta and Delta VoC pseudotypes. The novel Omicron variant had the biggest impact, both in terms of response rates and neutralization titers. Only mRNA-1273 showed a 100% response rate to Omicron and induced the highest level of neutralizing antibody titers, followed by heterologous prime-boost approaches. Homologous BNT162b2 vaccination or vector-based AZD1222 or Ad26.CoV2.S performed less well with peak responder rates of 33%, 50% and 9%, respectively. However, Omicron responder rates in BNT162b2 recipients were maintained in our six month longitudinal follow-up indicating that individuals with cross-protection against Omicron maintain it over time. Overall, our data strongly argues for urgent booster doses in individuals who were previously vaccinated with BNT162b2, or a vector-based immunization scheme.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Diminished neutralization responses towards SARS-CoV-2 Omicron VoC after mRNA or vector-based COVID-19 vaccinations
• Shorter serial intervals in SARS-CoV-2 cases with Omicron variant compared to Delta variant in the Netherlands, 13 - 19 December 2021 -

  The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant has a growth advantage over the Delta variant, due to higher transmissibility, immune evasion, or a shorter serial interval. Using S-gene target failure (SGTF) as indication for Omicron, we identify 220 SGTF and 869 non-SGTF serial intervals in the same week. Within households, we find a mean serial interval of 3.4 days for SGTF and 3.9 days for non-SGTF cases. This suggests that the growth advantage of Omicron is partly due to a shorter serial interval.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Shorter serial intervals in SARS- CoV-2 cases with Omicron variant compared to Delta variant in the Netherlands, 13 - 19 December 2021
• Serological study of CoronaVac vaccine and booster doses in Chile: immunogenicity and persistence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 S antibodies -

  ABSTRACT Background: Chile was severely affected by COVID19 outbreaks but was also one of the first countries to start a nationwide program to vaccinate against the disease. Furthermore, Chile became one of the fastest countries to inoculate a high percentage of the target population and implemented homologous and heterologous booster schemes in late 2021 to prevent potential immunological waning. The aim of this study is to compare the immunogenicity and time course of the humoral response elicited by the CoronaVac vaccine in combination with homologous versus heterologous boosters. Methods and Findings: We compared the immunogenicity of two doses of CoronaVac and BNT162b2 vaccines and studied the effect of different booster regimes in the Chilean population. Our results demonstrate that a two-dose vaccination scheme with CoronaVac induces lower levels of anti-SARS-CoV-2 S antibodies than BNT162b2 in a broad age range. Furthermore, antibody production declines with time in individuals vaccinated with CoronaVac and less noticeably, with BNT162b2. Remarkably, analysis of booster schemes revealed that individuals vaccinated with two doses of CoronaVac generate immunological memory against the SARS-CoV-2 ancestral strain, which can be re-activated with homologous or heterologous (BNT162b2 and ChAdOx1) boosters. Nevertheless, the magnitude of the antibody response with the heterologous booster regime was considerably higher and persistent (over 100 days) than the responses induced by the homologous scheme. Conclusions: Two doses of CoronaVac induces antibody titers against the SARS-CoV-2 ancestral strain which are lower in magnitude than those induced by the BNT162b2 vaccine. However, the response induced by CoronaVac can be greatly potentiated with a heterologous booster scheme with BNT162b2 or ChAdOx1 vaccines. Furthermore, the heterologous booster regimes induce a durable antibody response which does not show signs of decay 3 months after the booster dose.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Serological study of CoronaVac vaccine and booster doses in Chile: immunogenicity and persistence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 S antibodies
• COVID-19 and its clinical severity are associated with alterations of plasma sphingolipids and enzyme activities of sphingomyelinase and ceramidase -

  In the current pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19), a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms is essential to reduce morbidity and mortality and treat post-COVID-19 disease. Here, we analyzed alterations of sphingolipids and their metabolizing enzymes in 125 men and 74 women tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 and hospitalized with mild, moderate or severe symptoms or after convalescence. The activities of acid and neutral sphingomyelinases (ASM, NSM), which hydrolyze sphingomyelin to ceramide, were significantly increased in COVID-19 patients, while the activity of neutral ceramidase (NC), which hydrolyzes ceramide to sphingosine, was reduced. These alterations could each contribute to elevated ceramide levels in patients. Accordingly, liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) yielded increased levels of ceramides 16:0 and 18:0 with highest levels in severely affected patients and similar effects for dihydroceramides 16:0 and 18:0, whereas levels of (dihydro-)ceramides 24:0 were reduced. Furthermore, sphingomyelin 20:0; 22:0 and 24:0 as substrates of ASM and NSM as well as their dihydrosphingomyelin counterparts were reduced in patients as well as sphingosine-1-phosphate further downstream of NC activity. Effects of NSM, NC, ceramides and sphingomyelins remained significant after Bonferroni correction. SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels in convalescent patients were associated with age but none of the sphingolipid parameters. Based on our data, COVID-19 is associated with a dysregulation of sphingolipid homeostasis in a severity- dependent manner, particularly focused around a reduction of sphingomyelins and an accumulation of ceramides by increased enzyme activities leading to ceramide elevation (ASM, NSM) combined with a decreased activity of enzymes (NC) reducing ceramide levels. The potential of a combined sphingolipid/enzyme pattern as a diagnostic and prognostic marker and therapeutic target deserves further exploration.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: COVID-19 and its clinical severity are associated with alterations of plasma sphingolipids and enzyme activities of sphingomyelinase and ceramidase
• How to Run Behavioural Experiments Online: Best Practice Suggestions for Cognitive Psychology and Neuroscience -
  The combination of a replication crisis, global COVID-19 pandemic, and recent technological advances have accelerated the on-going transition of research in cognitive psychology and neuroscience to the online realm. When participants cannot be tested in-person, data of acceptable quality can still be collected online. While online research offers many advantages, numerous pitfalls may hinder researchers in addressing their questions appropriately, potentially resulting in unusable data and misleading conclusions. Here, we present a cost-benefit analysis of conducting online studies in cognitive psychology and neuroscience, coupled with detailed best practice suggestions that span the range from initial study design to the final interpretation of data. These suggestions offer a critical look at issues regarding recruitment of typical and (sub)clinical samples, their comparison, and the importance of context- dependency in each part of a study. We illustrate our suggestions by means of a recent online experiment investigating cognitive working memory skills in adults with the learning disorder dyslexia.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: How to Run Behavioural Experiments Online: Best Practice Suggestions for Cognitive Psychology and Neuroscience
• Evaluation of the effects of vaccination regimes on the transmission dynamics of COVID-19 pandemic -

  The COVID-19 pandemic has yet to be eliminated globally despite the advancement of immunization programs. Evaluation of the effects of the vaccination regimes of COVID-19 is critical for understanding the potential capacity of countermeasures and informing subsequent prioritization strategies of responses. Research and observational data provide broad support regarding the importance of effective vaccines, in contrast, debates remain on the timing and priority of booster vaccination under the assumption of resource constraint. This study aims to evaluate the effect of vaccination regimes on the trajectory of the COVID-19 pandemic from the medium-term perspective. We employ a mathematical model to infer critical epidemiological characteristics associated with COVID-19, thereafter perform simulation on the transmission dynamics of the epidemic up to 3 years. The outcomes imply that in the absence of severe variants of the pathogen, administration of booster vaccination curtails the peak size of total cases and share of severe infections at later waves. Nevertheless, it can be better off by prioritizing the primary doses to unvaccinated individuals when vaccine shortage is challenged. The effects of priority categories are consistent across a broad range of profiles. Increasing the rollout capacity (i.e., administration rate) of doses can render the reproduction number lower than one and hence contain the transmission of pandemic ultimately controlling for other factors. The timing of rollout of primary doses is pivotal in reducing the magnitude of transmission saturation. It is of importance to prioritize the administration of primary vaccination series to vulnerable individuals efficiently and thereafter increment of administration capacity when the supply of vaccine increases over time to scale down the size of an epidemic.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Evaluation of the effects of vaccination regimes on the transmission dynamics of COVID-19 pandemic
• ESTIMATING THE EFFECT OF VACCINATION ON THE CASE-FATALITY RATE FOR COVID-19 -

  Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of vaccination on the case fatality rate (CFR) for COVID-19 infection. Unlike infection or mortality rates, CFR is not affected by unmeasured patient behaviors or environmental factors that affect the risk of exposure. Methods: Cases were identified through the COVID Shared Data Resource (CSDR) of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Patients were included in this study if they had baseline data available for risk stratification. The primary outcome was death within 60 days of the first positive nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT). A patient was considered fully vaccinated if they had received one dose of the Johnson & Johnson product or two doses of any other formulation, at least, 14 days prior to the NAAT. Cases diagnosed in July, August, or September of 2021 were considered to have the delta variant. We used novel methods to control for confounders in multiple domains of the electronic medical record, including ICD10 codes, vital signs, baseline laboratory tests and outpatient medications. These procedures included retrieving all entries more than 14 days prior to the NAAT; deriving summary measures of their contribution to the risk of death; and including these measures as covariates in a logistic regression model evaluating vaccine effectiveness. PDeathDx refers to the risk of death based on 153 root ICD10 codes previously shown to be independent predictors of mortality. PDeathLabs refers to the risk based on 49 parameters from 4 vital signs and 7 baseline laboratory tests. AggRiskDx refers to the aggregate effect of 8 drug classes shown to have protective effects. Other predictors in the model included demographic characteristics and comorbidity scores. Logistic regression was used to derive adjusted odds ratios for the vaccination and delta terms. Separate models were developed for early COVID variants and the delta variant. Split sample validation was used to determine if the estimates for vaccine and delta effects were stable across independent patient samples. Results: On September 30, 2021, there were 339,772 patients in the COVID CSDR who met the criteria for this study. 9.1% had been fully vaccinated, while 21.5% were presumed to have the delta variant. The median time from vaccination to diagnosis was 154 days. Overall, 18,120 patients (5.33%) died within 60 days of their diagnosis. Multivariate modeling showed that age, gender, race, ethnicity, veteran status, PDeathDx, PDeathLabs, AggRiskRx and 3 of 4 comorbidity measures were independent risk factors for death within 60 days. The adjusted odds ratio for delta infection was 1.87 +/- 0.05, which corresponds to a relative risk of 1.78. The adjusted odds ratio for prior vaccination was 0.280 +/- 0.011, corresponding to a relative risk of 0.291. Separate models showed that vaccination had even greater benefits for delta infections than for earlier variants. Split sample procedures showed that the estimates for vaccine and delta effects were stable across independent samples. Conclusions: Estimates of vaccine effectiveness are valid to the extent that they exclude non-vaccine effects and control for confounding. Infection and mortality rates depend upon the risk of exposure which, in turn, depends upon the extent to which the patient adheres to COVID precautions and environmental factors. Moreover, there are hundreds of confounders that may promote higher vaccination rates in those suspected to have poor outcomes if they contract the virus. Our study used CFR and novel procedures to mitigate these problems. Although delta is substantially more lethal than earlier variants, vaccination reduces the risk of death by over 70%. Moreover, the benefit of such was observed at a median of 5 months after vaccination. Our study using CFR confirms that vaccination is an effective means of preventing COVID death and suggests that CFR would better identify changes in virulence of new variants.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: ESTIMATING THE EFFECT OF VACCINATION ON THE CASE-FATALITY RATE FOR COVID-19
• Beyond vaccination: A Cross-Sectional Study of the importance of Behavioral and Native Factors on COVID-19 Infection and Severity. -

  The COVID-19 pandemic has a major impact on a global scale. Understanding the innate and lifestyle-related factors influencing the rate and severity of COVID-19 is important for making evidence-based recommendations. This cross-sectional study aimed at establishing a potential relationship between human characteristics and vulnerability/resistance to SARS-CoV-2. We hypothesize that the impact of virus is not the same due to cultural and ethnic differences. A cross-sectional study was performed using an online questionnaire. The methodology included a development of a multi-language survey, expert evaluation and data analysis. Data was collected using a 13-item pre- tested questionnaire based on a literature review. Data was statistically analyzed using the logistic regression. For a total of 1125 respondents, 332 (29.5%) were COVID-19 positive, among them 130 (11.5%) required home-based treatment, and 14 (1.2%) intensive care. The significant factors included age, physical activity and health status all found to have a significant influence on the infection (p < 0.05). The severity of infection was associated with preventive measures and tobacco (p < 0.05). This suggests the importance of behavioral factors compared to innate ones. Apparently, the individual behavior is mainly responsible for the spread of the virus. Adopting a healthy lifestyle and scrupulously observing preventive measures including vaccination would greatly limit the probability of infection and prevent the development of severe COVID-19.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Beyond vaccination: A Cross- Sectional Study of the importance of Behavioral and Native Factors on COVID-19 Infection and Severity.
• Impact of accelerating booster vaccination amidst Omicron surge in the United States -

  COVID-19 infections driven by the Omicron variant are sweeping across the United States. Although early evidence suggests that the Omicron variant may cause less severe disease than previous variants, the explosive spread of infections threatens to drive hospitalizations and deaths to unprecedented high levels, swamping already overburdened hospitals. Booster vaccination appears to be effective at preventing severe illness and hospitalization. However, the pace of booster vaccination in the US has been slow despite the available infrastructure to administer doses at a much higher rate. We used an age-stratified, multi-variant agent-based model to project the reduction in COVID-related deaths and hospitalizations that could be achieved by accelerating the current daily pace of booster vaccination in the US. We found that doubling the rate of booster vaccination would prevent over 400,000 hospitalizations and 48,000 deaths. Tripling the booster vaccination rate would avert over 600,000 hospitalizations and save 70,000 lives during the first four months of 2022.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Impact of accelerating booster vaccination amidst Omicron surge in the United States
• Vaccine hesitancy and access to psoriasis care in the COVID-19 pandemic: findings from a global patient-reported cross-sectional survey. -

  Background: COVID-19 vaccination is efficacious at protecting against severe COVID-19 outcomes in the general population. However, vaccine hesitancy (unwillingness for vaccination despite available vaccination services) threatens public health. Individuals taking immunosuppression for psoriasis have been prioritised for COVID-19 vaccination, however there is a paucity of information on vaccine hesitancy in this population, including contributing factors. While global healthcare has been severely disrupted in the pandemic, the impact on access to psoriasis care and whether this may negatively influence vaccine uptake, is underexplored. Objectives: To explore organisational and individual factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in individuals with psoriasis. Methods: Individuals with psoriasis, identified through global patient organisations and social media, completed a cross-sectional self-reported online survey. The primary outcome was COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Logistic regression was used to examine the association between predictor variables (organisational and individual factors) and outcome. Results: Self-reported data from 802 individuals with psoriasis across 89 countries were available (65.6% female, median age 51 years [IQR 37-61], 43.7% taking systemic immunosuppression). Eight percent (n=63) reported vaccine hesitancy. Those reporting vaccine hesitancy were younger, more likely to be of non-white ethnicity, non-UK resident, have a lower BMI, not taking systemic immunosuppression and with shorter disease duration compared to those not reporting vaccine hesitancy. The commonest reasons for vaccine hesitancy were concerns regarding vaccine side-effects, that the vaccine is too new or that psoriasis may worsen post-vaccination. Forty percent (n=322) reported that their psoriasis care had been disrupted by the pandemic. These individuals were younger, of non-white ethnicity, with shorter duration and more severe psoriasis. Disruption to psoriasis care was associated with vaccine hesitancy (unadjusted OR 2.97 (95%CI 1.23-7.13), p=0.015), although not statistically significant in the adjusted model. Conclusion: A minority of individuals with psoriasis from our study reported COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Similar to general population trends, vaccine hesitancy in our psoriasis sample is most common in younger age and ethnic minority groups. Our data highlight patient concerns regarding COVID-19 vaccination, which are important to address during patient-clinician interactions to help optimise vaccine uptake and mitigate risks from the ongoing pandemic in individuals with psoriasis.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Vaccine hesitancy and access to psoriasis care in the COVID-19 pandemic: findings from a global patient-reported cross-sectional survey.
• Social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain: a population study -

  Since March of 2020, billions of people worldwide have been asked to limit their social contacts in an effort to contain the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. However, little research has been carried out to date on the impact of such social distancing measures on the social isolation levels of the population. In this paper, we study the impact of the pandemic on the social isolation of the Spanish population, by means of 32,359 answers to a citizen survey collected over a period of 7 months. We uncover (1) a significant increase in the prevalence of social isolation in the population, reaching almost 26%; (2) gender and age differences, with the largest prevalence of isolation among middle- aged individuals; (3) a strong relationship between economic impact and social isolation; and (4) differences in social isolation, depending on the number of COVID-19 protection measures and on the perception of coronavirus infection risk by our participants. Our research sheds quantitative light on the sociological impact of the pandemic, and enables us to identify key factors in the interplay between the deployment of non-pharmaceutical interventions to contain the spread of an infectious disease and a population9s levels of social isolation.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain: a population study

From Clinical Trials

• Quantifying Viral Load in Respiratory Particles That Are Generated by Children and Adults With COVID-19 Infection - Condition:   COVID-19
  Intervention:   Device: COVID-19 Aerosol Collection
  Sponsor:  
  Massachusetts General Hospital
  Recruiting

• A Study to Evaluate the Safety and Immunogenicity of Booster With AZD1222, mRNA-1273, or MVC-COV1901 Against COVID-19 - Condition:   COVID-19 Vaccine
  Interventions:   Biological: Half dose of MVC-COV1901;   Biological: Full dose of MVC-COV1901;   Biological: AZD1222;   Biological: Half dose of mRNA-1273
  Sponsors:   Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp.;   Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations
  Not yet recruiting

• Evaluation of Safety & Efficacy of MIR 19 ® Inhalation Solution in Patients With Moderate COVID-19 - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Drug: MIR 19 ®;   Combination Product: Standard COVID-19 therapy
  Sponsors:   National Research Center - Institute of Immunology Federal Medical-Biological Agency of Russia;   St. Petersburg Research Institute of Vaccines and Sera
  Completed

• Efficacy of Breathox Device Inhalation Therapy in the Treatment of Acute Symptoms Associated With COVID-19 and in the Prevention of the Use of Health Resources - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Drug: BREATHOX 5 sessions;   Drug: BREATHOX 10 sessions
  Sponsors:   UPECLIN HC FM Botucatu Unesp;   Liita Holdings LTD
  Recruiting

• Plasma Exchange in Covid-19 Patients With Anti-interferon Autoantibodies - Condition:   COVID-19
  Intervention:   Drug: Therapeutic plasma exchange
  Sponsor:  
  Centre Hospitalier St Anne
  Recruiting

• Randomized Multicenter Study on the Efficacy and Safety of Favipiravir for Parenteral Administration Compared to Standard of Care in Hospitalized Patients With COVID-19 - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Drug: Favipiravir;   Drug: Remdesivir
  Sponsors:   Promomed, LLC;   Solyur Pharmaceuticals Group
  Completed

• Immunogenicity of an Inactivated COVID-19 Vaccine - Condition:   COVID-19
  Intervention:   Biological: Inactivated COVID-19 Vaccine
  Sponsor:   Sinovac Research and Development Co., Ltd.
  Recruiting

• Inhaled Heparin for Hospitalised Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) - Condition:   COVID-19
  Intervention:   Drug: unfractionated Heparin
  Sponsors:  
  Australian National University;   The George Institute;   St George Hospital, Australia;   St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne;   John Hunter Hospital;   Royal North Shore Hospital
  Not yet recruiting

• A Prospective, Phase II Study to Evaluate Safety of 101-PGC-005 (’005) for Moderate to Severe COVID-19 Disease Along With Standard of Care - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Drug: 101-PGC-005 (’005) + SOC;   Drug: Placebo + SOC
  Sponsor:   101 Therapeutics
  Recruiting

• To Evaluate Safety & Immunogenicity of DelNS1-2019-nCoV-RBD-OPT1 for COVID-19 in Healthy Adults Received 2 Doses of BNT162b2 - Condition:   Covid19
  Interventions:   Biological: DelNS1-2019-nCoV-RBD-OPT1;   Biological: Matching placebo
  Sponsor:   The University of Hong Kong
  Not yet recruiting

• Immunogenicity and Safety Study of a SCB-2019 Vaccine Booster Dose to Adults Who Previously Received Primary Series of Selected COVID-19 Vaccines - Condition:   COVID-19
  Intervention:   Biological: Candidate vaccine, SCB-2019
  Sponsor:   Clover Biopharmaceuticals AUS Pty Ltd
  Not yet recruiting

• Increasing COVID-19 Testing in Chicago’s African American Testing Desserts - Condition:   COVID-19 Pandemic
  Intervention:   Behavioral: COVID-19 Testing
  Sponsor:   Rush University Medical Center
  Recruiting

• COVID-19 Messaging for Vaccination - Conditions:   Vaccination Refusal;   COVID-19 Pandemic
  Interventions:   Behavioral: Doctor Videos;   Behavioral: Sharing Videos;   Behavioral: Sharing Videos (Influencers);   Behavioral: Vaccine Ambassador;   Behavioral: Video framing;   Behavioral: Video order
  Sponsors:   Massachusetts Institute of Technology;   Facebook, Inc.;   Code3;   Stanford University;   Harvard University;   Yale University;   Johns Hopkins University;   Massachusetts General Hospital;   Ludwig-Maximilians - University of Munich;   National Institutes of Health (NIH)
  Recruiting

• Respiratory Physiotherapy and Neurorehabilitation in Patients With Post-covid19 Sequelae. - Condition:   COVID-19 Pandemic
  Intervention:   Other: respiratory treatment
  Sponsor:   Universidad Católica de Ávila
  Not yet recruiting

• The Effect of Telemonitoring on Anxiety and Quality of Life in Patients in COVID 19 Quarantine - Condition:   COVID-19 Pandemic
  Intervention:   Other: tele-monitoring
  Sponsor:  
  Yuksek Ihtisas University
  Completed

From PubMed

• The COVID-19-diabetes mellitus molecular tetrahedron - Accumulating molecular evidence suggests that insulin resistance, rather than SARS-CoV-2- provoked beta-cell impairment, plays a major role in the observed rapid metabolic deterioration in diabetes, or new-onset hyperglycemia, during the COVID-19 clinical course. In order to clarify the underlying complexity of COVID-19 and diabetes mellitus interactions, we propose the imaginary diabetes-COVID-19 molecular tetrahedron with four lateral faces consisting of SARS-CoV-2 entry via ACE2 (lateral face…

• Artecanin of Laurus nobilis is a novel inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 main protease with highly desirable druglikeness - Main protease (M^(pro)) is a critical enzyme in the life cycle of severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus -2 (SARS-CoV-2). Due to its essential role in the maturation of the polyproteins, the necessity to inhibit M^(pro) is one of the essential means to prevent the outbreak of COVID-19. In this context, this study was conducted on the natural compounds of medicinal plants that are commonly available in the Middle East to find out the most potent one to inhibit M^(pro) with the best…

• An investigation for the interaction of gamma oryzanol with the Mpro of SARS-CoV-2 to combat COVID-19: DFT, molecular docking, ADME and molecular dynamics simulations - COVID-19 has affected more or less every nation across the world and affected the economy very badly. Infection of this virus in human took the life of millions. We have already faced the first and the second waves of COVID-19 and recently, the nations or humanity is afraid of new strain, that is, OMICRON. Considered to highly infectious than the previous strains. Therefore, the researchers are working to find a promising molecule with no or permissible toxicity. In the present work, authors…

• HACE2-Exosome-Based Nano-Bait for Concurrent SARS-CoV-2 Trapping and Antioxidant Therapy - Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is seriously threatening human health. Following SARS-CoV-2 infection, immune cell infiltration creates an inflammatory and oxidative microenvironment, which can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure, and even death. Clinically, a safe and effective treatment strategy remains to be established. Herein, a nano-bait strategy for inhibition of…

• Case Report of COVID-19 Infection After Kidney Transplant Treated With Casirivimab-Imdevimab and Mycophenolate Mofetil Changed to Everolimus - CONCLUSIONS: We could safely treat a patient with casirivimab-imdevimab after kidney transplant. It is suggested that casirivimab-imdevimab can prevent COVID-19 from becoming severe and can be administered without worsening renal function. In addition, everolimus may have inhibited the spread of the virus and prevented it from replicating.

• Favipiravir in Kidney Transplant Recipients With COVID-19: A Romanian Case Series - CONCLUSIONS: FPV appears well tolerated by KTx with COVID-19, but its clinical benefit remains unclear. Larger analyses are needed.

• Postbiotics as Potential Promising Tools for SARS-COV-2 Disease Adjuvant Therapy - The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic defines the global health tension of our time. There are several continuous efforts to find a definitive cure in this regard. According to some adverse effects and problems of customary SARS-CoV-2 disease therapies, bioactive compounds for example probiotics-derived metabolites (postbiotics) have been accomplishing supreme importance by investigators for adjuvant cures in patients with SARS-CoV-2. Postbiotics inhibit angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) activity and…

• Genetic prediction of ICU hospitalization and mortality in COVID-19 patients using artificial neural networks - There is an unmet need of models for early prediction of morbidity and mortality of Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19). We aimed to a) identify complement-related genetic variants associated with the clinical outcomes of ICU hospitalization and death, b) develop an artificial neural network (ANN) predicting these outcomes and c) validate whether complement- related variants are associated with an impaired complement phenotype. We prospectively recruited consecutive adult patients of Caucasian…

• Evidence for a semisolid phase state of aerosols and droplets relevant to the airborne and surface survival of pathogens - The phase state of respiratory aerosols and droplets has been linked to the humidity-dependent survival of pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2. To inform strategies to mitigate the spread of infectious disease, it is thus necessary to understand the humidity-dependent phase changes associated with the particles in which pathogens are suspended. Here, we study phase changes of levitated aerosols and droplets composed of model respiratory compounds (salt and protein) and growth media (organic-inorganic…

• Discovery of SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease Covalent Inhibitors from a DNA-Encoded Library Selection - Covalent inhibitors targeting the main protease (M^(pro), or 3CLpro) of SARS-CoV-2 have shown promise in preclinical investigations. Herein, we report the discovery of two new series of molecules that irreversibly bind to SARS-CoV-2 M^(pro). These acrylamide containing molecules were discovered using our DNA-encoded library (DEL) screening platform. Following selection against SARS-CoV-2 M^(pro), off-DNA compounds were synthesized and investigated to determine their inhibitory effects, the…

• The possible role of ursolic acid in Covid-19: A real game changer - Ursolic acid (UA) is a pentacyclic terpenoid is usually found in the fruit peels and stem bark as secondary metabolites. UA has antiviral, antibacterial, and antiparasitic properties. UA has a wide spectrum of pharmacological activities against different infections. Because of the greatest antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties of UA, so it could be a plausible therapeutic herbal medicine in Covid-19 treatment. Covid-19 is a recent worldwide virulent disease pandemic due to severe acute…

• Allosteric perspective on the mutability and druggability of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein - Recent developments in the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic point to its inevitable transformation into an endemic disease, urging both refinement of diagnostics for emerging variants of concern (VOCs) and design of variant-specific drugs in addition to vaccine adjustments. Exploring the structure and dynamics of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein, we argue that the high- mutability characteristic of RNA viruses coupled with the remarkable flexibility and dynamics of viral proteins result in a substantial…

• Safety and Immunogenicity of the Third Booster Dose with Inactivated, Viral Vector, and mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines in Fully Immunized Healthy Adults with Inactivated Vaccine - The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has become a severe healthcare problem worldwide since the first outbreak in late December 2019. Currently, the COVID-19 vaccine has been used in many countries, but it is still unable to control the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, despite patients receiving full vaccination doses. Therefore, we aimed to appraise the booster effect of the different platforms of vaccines, including inactivated…

• GNS561 Exhibits Potent Antiviral Activity against SARS-CoV-2 through Autophagy Inhibition - Since December 2019, SARS-CoV-2 has spread quickly worldwide, leading to more than 280 million confirmed cases, including over 5,000,000 deaths. Interestingly, coronaviruses were found to subvert and hijack autophagic process to allow their viral replication. Autophagy-modulating compounds thus rapidly emerged as an attractive strategy to fight SARS-CoV-2 infection, including the well-known chloroquine (CQ). Here, we investigated the antiviral activity and associated mechanism of…

• Photodynamic Inactivation of Human Coronaviruses - Photodynamic inactivation (PDI) employs a photosensitizer, light, and oxygen to create a local burst of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that can inactivate microorganisms. The botanical extract PhytoQuin^(TM) is a powerful photosensitizer with antimicrobial properties. We previously demonstrated that photoactivated PhytoQuin also has antiviral properties against herpes simplex viruses and adenoviruses in a dose-dependent manner across a broad range of sub-cytotoxic concentrations. Here, we report…

From Patent Search

• IDENTIFICATION AND ALARM SYSTEM FOR FACIAL CORONA MASK USING CNN BASED IMAGE PROCESSING - tThe covid-19 epidemic is the world’s largest wake-up call for people to pay attention to their own and society’s health. One thing to keep in mind is that there is a segment of the population that has been exposed to the covid-19 virus and has generated antibodies without developing any significant illnesses and is continuing to be healthy. This indicates that a significant section of the population, even excluding the elderly, lacks the necessary bodily immunity to combat a Viral infection. As terrible as covid-19 is on a global scale, developing personal health standards and preventative measures for any pathogenic virus as a community would have spared many lives. In’this work, a camera is combined with an image processing system to recognise facial masks, which may be improved in a variety of ways. First and foremost, this method is meant to identify masks on a single person’s face. While this method is efficient in identifying someone has a mask, it does not ensure that they will wear it all of the time. The most effective update for this task is to install a camera with a wide field of view so that many individuals can be seen in the frame, and the faces of those who aren’t wearing markings can be identified, as well as the number of people and the timing. - link

• ANTIMICROBIAL SANITIZING FORMULATION - An antimicrobial sanitizing formulation, comprising, i) isopropyl alcohol in the range of 0.1%- 80% w/w, ii) an emollient in the range of 0.1%-15% w/w, iii) hydrogen peroxide in the range of 0.1 0.13% w/w, iv) citric acid in the range of 0.1% to 2.0% w/w, v) silver nitrate in the range of 0.1% to 0.5% w/w, and vi) a fragrance imparting agent in the range of 0.1% to 2.0% w/w. - link

• A HEALTH BAND WITH A BIOMETRIC MODULE AND WORKING METHOD THEREOF - The present invention discloses a health band with a biometric module and method thereof. The assembly includes, but not limited to, a plurality of sensors configured to gather health data associated with a predefined symptom of a medical condition of a user; a memory unit configured to store the data and an interface, which is configured to determine the medical condition using the data;a processing unit configured to execute the application; and a notification facility configured to provide a notification upon receiving from the interface an instruction associated with the notification, wherein the notification is associated with a drug reminder and the like. - link

• RNA 검출 방법 - 본 발명은 RNA의 분석 및 검출 방법에 관한 것이다. 특히, 본 발명은 특히, 본 발명은 짧은 염기서열의 RNA까지 분석이 가능하면서도 높은 민감도 및 정확도로 정량적 검출까지 가능하여 감염증, 암 등 여러 질환의 진단 용도로도 널리 활용될 수 있다. - link

• REUNION OF PHOTOTHERMAL THERAPY WITH MXENE ADSORBED UREMIC TOXINS AND CYTOKINES: A SHILED FOR COVID-19 PATENTS - The COVID-19 pandemic has created havoc throughout the world. The disease has proved to be more fatalfor patients having comorbidities like diabetics, lungs and kidney infections, etc. In the case of COVID-19 patientsI having kidney injury, the. removal of uremic toxins from the blood is hindered and there is a rapid surge in the levelj of cytokine hormone resulting in the death of the patient in a short interval of time. To resolve this issue,iI; researchers have examined that the immediate removal of these toxins can improve the condition of the patient to a |greater extent. Studies have also found the presence of SARS CoV-2 viral RNAs in the blood of COVID-19patients, which risks their life as well as impacts the blood transfusion process, especially in the case ofasymptomatic patients. Hence it is required to control the surge of cytokines and uremic toxins as well as disinfectthe blood of the patient from the virus. MXenes, having a foam-like porous structure and hydrophilic negativesurface functionalization have greater adsorption efficiency as well as superior photothermal activity. Utilizingthese properties of MXenes, the MXene membranes can be used in the dialyzer that can help in the efficient andBiuick removal of the uremic toxins, cytokines, and other impurities from the blood. Along with this the greaterTJAdsorption efficiency of MXenes to amino acids result in the trapping of the SARS CoV-2 viruses on the surface J)3>f the MXene. Many researchers as well as the WHO have proved the efficient reduction of the viral copy numbersjjvith the increase of temperature. Hence, followed by the trapping of the viruses, the implementation of"Zphotothermal Therapy can result in the inactivation and denaturation of the viruses and their respective viral RNAsBJlby the produced heat. The same process can be repeated several times to get better results. This whole process canr>oQ-esult in impurity-free and infection-free blood, that can be returned back to the body of the patient or can be!— I Sitilized for the blood transfusion process without any risk of infection.IM - link

• REDUCING AND STOPPING OXYGEN WASTAGE IN HOSPITAL - In an aspect, the present invention discloses a system (200) for prevention and reduction of oxygen wastage from oxygen mask (202). The system (200) includes the oxygen mask (202) having straps; a tension sensor (204), the tension sensor being sensitive towards tension produced in the straps as the oxygen gets leakage through sides of the mask (202); a processor configured in alignment with the tension sensor (204); and a buzzer (206) in alignment with processor. - link

• 编码SARS-COV-2病毒C.37突变株抗原的DNA分子、DNA疫苗及应用 - 本发明涉及生物技术领域，具体而言，提供了一种编码SARS‑COV‑2病毒C.37突变株抗原的DNA分子、DNA疫苗及应用。本发明提供的SEQ ID NO：1核酸序列在真核表达系统中能够高效转录和表达，而且具有免疫原性，表现在体液免疫和细胞免疫应答中，以此作为活性成分的核酸疫苗同样具有良好的免疫原性。 - link

• SARS-COV-2病毒B.1.617.2突变株DNA疫苗及应用 - 本发明涉及生物技术领域，具体而言，提供了一种编码SARS‑COV‑2病毒B.1.617.2突变株抗原的DNA分子、DNA疫苗及应用。本发明提供的SEQ ID NO：1核酸序列在真核表达系统中能够高效转录和表达，而且具有免疫原性，表现在体液免疫和细胞免疫应答中，以此作为活性成分的核酸疫苗同样具有良好的免疫原性。 - link

• Hung Thanh Phan COVID-19 NEW SOLUTION - - link

• A METHOD TO REVEAL MOTIF PATTERNS OF COVID-19 USING MULTIPLE SEQUENCE ALIGNMENT - This present invention consists of different levels of computation and work in a pipeline manner i.e., input of one will be output of another and it is sequential process. Input data given in form of nucleotide sequence (DNA) of different COVID-19 patients (1). Using these nucleotide sequence perform mutation if possible and arrange them in a sequential order (2). Arrange number of nucleotide sequences of different patients in row wise and also compute number of characters in each row. (3). Compute frequency of occurrence of character in column wise and create a matrix having 4 rows and maximum sequence length will be the column size (4). Find the character like A, T, C, and G which one has maximum score and similarly find for each column to produce a final sequence (5). - link