Covid-19 Sentry

Contents

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

From Preprints

• To Sit Quietly in a Room Alone: The Psychology of Social, Material, and Sensation Seeking Input -
  External input is any kind of physical stimulation created by an individual’s surroundings that can be detected by the senses. The present research established a novel conceptualization of this construct by investigating it in relation to the needs for material, social, and sensation seeking input, and by testing the consequences of these needs for psychological functioning during long- and short-term input deprivation. It was established that the three needs constitute different dimensions of an overarching construct (i.e., need for external input), that the needs for social and sensation seeking input have negative consequences for people’s experiences of long-term input deprivation (i.e., COVID-19 restrictions), and that the need for material input negatively predicts the experiences of short-term input deprivation (i.e., sitting in a chair without doing anything else but thinking). Overall, this research established a novel construct that has fundamental implications for experiences and actions in a range of different contexts.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: To Sit Quietly in a Room Alone: The Psychology of Social, Material, and Sensation Seeking Input
• Epitope mapping of SARS-CoV 2 RBDs by hydroxyl radical protein footprinting reveals the importance of including negative antibody controls. -
  Epitope mapping methods using hydroxyl radical protein footprinting (HRPF) are currently hampered by high initial cost and complex experimental setup. Here we set out to present a generally applicable method using Fenton chemistry for mapping of epitopes and paratopes in a standard laboratory setting. Furthermore, the described method illustrates the importance of controls on several levels when performing mass spectrometry-based epitope mapping. In particular, the inclusion of negative antibody controls has not previously been widely utilized in epitope mapping by HRPF analysis. In order to limit the false positives, we further introduced quantification by TMT labelling, thereby allowing for direct comparison between sample conditions and biological triplicates. Lastly, up to six technical replicates were incorporated in the experimental setup in order to achieve increased depth of the final analysis. Both binding and openings of regions on receptor binding domain (RBD) from SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein, Alpha and Delta variants, were observed. The negative control antibody experiment, combined with the high overlap between biological triplicates, resulted in the exclusion of 40% of the significantly changed regions, including both binding and opening regions. The identified binding region agrees with the literature for neutralizing antibodies towards SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein. The presented method is an easily implementable technique for the analysis of HRPF in a generic MS-based laboratory. The high reliability of the data was achieved by increasing the number of technical and biological replicates combined with negative antibody controls.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Epitope mapping of SARS-CoV 2 RBDs by hydroxyl radical protein footprinting reveals the importance of including negative antibody controls.
• Colloidal aggregation confounds cell-based Covid-19 antiviral screens -
  Colloidal aggregation is one of the largest contributors to false-positives in early drug discovery and chemical biology. Much work has focused on its impact on pure-protein screens; here we consider aggregations role in cell-based infectivity assays in Covid-19 drug repurposing. We began by investigating the potential aggregation of 41 drug candidates reported as SARs-CoV-2 entry inhibitors. Of these, 17 formed colloidal-particles by dynamic light scattering and exhibited detergent-dependent enzyme inhibition. To evaluate antiviral efficacy of the drugs in cells we used spike pseudotyped lentivirus and pre-saturation of the colloids with BSA. The antiviral potency of the aggregators was diminished by at least 10-fold and often entirely eliminated in the presence of BSA, suggesting antiviral activity can be attributed to the non-specific nature of the colloids. In confocal microscopy, the aggregates induced fluorescent puncta of labeled spike protein, consistent with sequestration of the protein on the colloidal particles. Addition of either non-ionic detergent or of BSA disrupted these puncta. These observations suggest that colloidal aggregation is common among cell-based anti-viral drug repurposing, and perhaps cell-based assays more broadly, and offers rapid counter-screens to detect and eliminate these artifacts, allowing the community invest resources in compounds with true potential as a Covid-19 therapeutic.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Colloidal aggregation confounds cell-based Covid-19 antiviral screens
• Deciphering the code of viral-host adaptation through maximum entropy models -
  Understanding how the genome of a virus evolves depending on the host it infects is an important question that challenges our knowledge about several mechanisms of host-pathogen interactions, including mutational signatures, innate immunity, and codon optimization. A key facet of this general topic is the study of viral genome evolution after a host-jumping event, a topic which has experienced a surge in interest due to the fight against emerging pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2. In this work, we tackle this question by introducing a new method to learn Maximum Entropy Nucleotide Bias models (MENB) reflecting single, di- and tri- nucleotide usage, which can be trained from viral sequences that infect a given host. We show that both the viral family and the host leave a fingerprint in nucleotide usages which MENB models decode. When the task is to classify both the host and the viral family for a sequence of unknown viral origin MENB models outperform state of the art methods based on deep neural networks. We further demonstrate the generative properties of the proposed framework, presenting an example where we change the nucleotide composition of the 1918 H1N1 Influenza A sequence without changing its protein sequence, while manipulating the nucleotide usage, by diminishing its CpG content. Finally we consider two well-known cases of zoonotic jumps, for the H1N1 Influenza A and for the SARS-CoV-2 viruses, and show that our method can be used to track the adaptation to the new host and to shed light on the more relevant selective pressures which have acted on motif usage during this process. Our work has wide-ranging applications, including integration into metagenomic studies to identify hosts for diverse viruses, surveillance of emerging pathogens, prediction of synonymous mutations that effect immunogenicity during viral evolution in a new host, and the estimation of putative evolutionary ages for viral sequences in similar scenarios. Additionally, the computational framework introduced here can be used to assist vaccine design by tuning motif usage with fine-grained control.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Deciphering the code of viral-host adaptation through maximum entropy models
• Inhalation Delivered RNA Aptamer for Therapeutics against SARS-CoV2 -
  The continual emergence and re-emergence of infectious diseases has led to a pressing need for the development of swift and targeted therapeutic interventions. SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19, is a prime example of such a rapidly spreading virus. The global crisis caused by this virus has propelled researchers to explore and adopt novel techniques in the hopes of effectively combating its spread. One such innovative approach is the use of aptamers–single-stranded RNA molecules that can bind targets with high specificity.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Inhalation Delivered RNA Aptamer for Therapeutics against SARS-CoV2
• NK cell-monocyte crosstalk underlies NK cell activation in severe COVID-19 -
  NK cells in the peripheral blood of severe COVID-19 patients exhibit a unique profile characterized by activation and dysfunction. Previous studies have identified soluble factors, including type I interferon and TGF{beta}, that underlie this dysregulation. However, the role of cell-cell interactions in mediating changes in NK cell function during COVID-19 remains unclear. To address this question, we combined cell-cell communication analysis on existing single-cell RNA sequencing data with in vitro primary cell co-culture experiments to dissect the mechanisms underlying NK cell dysfunction in COVID-19. We found that NK cells are predicted to interact most strongly with monocytes and that this occurs via both soluble factors and direct interactions. To validate these findings, we performed in vitro co-cultures in which NK cells from healthy donors were incubated with monocytes from COVID-19+ or healthy donors. Co-culture of healthy NK cells with monocytes from COVID-19 patients recapitulated aspects of the NK cell phenotype observed in severe COVID-19, including decreased expression of NKG2D, increased expression of activation markers, and increased proliferation. When these experiments were performed in a transwell setting, we found that only CD56bright CD16- NK cells were activated in the presence of severe COVID-19 patient monocytes. O-link analysis of supernatants from transwell co-cultures revealed that cultures containing severe COVID-19 patient monocytes had significantly elevated levels of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines as well as TGF{beta}. Collectively, these results demonstrate that interactions between NK cells and monocytes in the peripheral blood of COVID-19 patients contribute to NK cell activation and dysfunction in severe COVID-19.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: NK cell-monocyte crosstalk underlies NK cell activation in severe COVID-19
• Characterization of Unique Pathological Features of COVID-Associated Coagulopathy: Studies with AC70 hACE2 Transgenic Mice Highly Permissive to SARS-CoV-2 Infection -
  COVID-associated coagulopathy seemly plays a key role in post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms are poorly understood, largely due to the lack of suitable animal models that recapitulate key clinical and pathological symptoms. Here, we fully characterized AC70 line of human ACE2 transgenic (AC70 hACE2 Tg) mice for SARS-CoV-2 infection. We noted that this model is highly permissive to SARS-CoV-2 with values of 50% lethal dose and infectious dose as ~ 3 and ~ 0.5 TCID50 of SARS-CoV-2, respectively. Mice infected with 105 TCID50 of SARS-CoV-2 rapidly succumbed to infection with 100% mortality within 5 days. Lung and brain were the prime tissues harboring high viral titers, accompanied by histopathology. However, viral RNA and many inflammatory mediators could be readily detectable in other organs, suggesting the nature of a systemic infection. Lethal challenge of AC70 hACE2 mice caused acute onset of leukopenia, lymphopenia, along with an increased neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio. Importantly, infected animals recapitulated key features of COVID-19-associated coagulopathy, including significantly elevated levels of D-dimer, t-PA, PAI-1, and circulating NETs, along with activated platelet/endothelium marker. Immunohistochemical staining with anti-PF4 antibody revealed profound platelet aggregates especially within blocked veins of the lungs. ANXA2 is known to interact with S100A10 to form heterotetrametric complexes, serving as coreceptors for t-PA to regulate membrane fibrinolysis. Thus, our results revealing elevated IgG type anti-ANXA2 antibody production, downregulated de novo ANXA2/S100A10 synthesis, and reduced AnxA2/S100A10 association in infected mice support an important role of this protein in the pathogenesis of acute COVID-19. In summary, we showed that acute SARS-CoV-2 infection of AC70 hACE2 Tg mice triggered a hypercoagulable state coexisting with ill-regulated fibrinolysis, accompanied by dysregulation of ANXA2 system, which might serve as druggable targets for development of antithrombotic and/or anti-fibrinolytic agents to attenuate pathogenesis of COVID-19.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Characterization of Unique Pathological Features of COVID-Associated Coagulopathy: Studies with AC70 hACE2 Transgenic Mice Highly Permissive to SARS-CoV-2 Infection
• Spatiotemporal dynamics and epidemiological impact of SARS-CoV-2 XBB lineages dissemination in Brazil in 2023 -

  The SARS-CoV-2 XBB is a group of highly immune-evasive lineages of the Omicron VOC that emerged by recombining BA.2-descendent lineages and spread worldwide during 2023. In this study, we combine SARS-CoV-2 genomic data (n = 11,065 sequences) with epidemiological data of Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) cases collected in Brazil between October 2022 and July 2023 to reconstruct the space-time dynamics and epidemiologic impact of XBB dissemination in the country. Our analyses revealed that the introduction and local emergence of lineages carrying convergent mutations within the Spike protein, especially F486P, F456L, and L455F, propelled the spread of XBB* lineages in Brazil. The average relative instantaneous reproduction numbers of XBB+F486P, XBB+F486P+F456L, and XBB+F486P+ F456L+L455F lineages in Brazil were estimated to be 1.24, 1.33, and 1.48 higher than that of other co-circulating lineages (mainly BQ.1/BE), respectively. Despite such a growth advantage, the dissemination of these XBB lineages had a reduced impact on Brazils epidemiological scenario concerning previous Omicron subvariants. The peak number of SARI cases from SARS-CoV-2 during the XBB wave was approximately 90%, 80%, and 70% lower than that observed during the previous BA.1, BA.5, and BQ.1* waves, respectively. These findings revealed the emergence of multiple XBB lineages with progressively increasing growth advantage, yet with relatively limited epidemiological impact in Brazil throughout 2023. The XBB*+F486P+F456L+L455F lineages stand out for their heightened transmissibility, warranting close monitoring in the months ahead.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Spatiotemporal dynamics and epidemiological impact of SARS-CoV-2 XBB lineages dissemination in Brazil in 2023
• An efficient approach to nowcasting the time-varying reproduction number -

  Estimating the instantaneous reproduction number (Rt) in near real-time is crucial for monitoring and responding to epidemic outbreaks on a daily basis. However, such estimates often suffer from bias due to reporting delays inherent in surveillance systems. A fast and flexible Bayesian methodology is proposed to overcome this challenge by estimating Rt while taking into account reporting delays. Furthermore, the uncertainty associated with the nowcasting of cases is naturally taken into account to get a valid uncertainty estimation of the nowcasted reproduction number. The proposed methodology is evaluated through a simulation study and applied to COVID-19 incidence data in Belgium.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: An efficient approach to nowcasting the time-varying reproduction number
• Trade unions and mental health during an employment crisis. Evidence from the UK before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. -

  Background: Trade union presence within a workplace could potentially affect employees9 working conditions and in turn health. We assessed the relationship between union (presence and membership) at the individual level and mental health in the context of COVID-19 employment disruptions. Methods: We analysed panel data from Understanding Society collected before and during the COVID-19 pandemic (49,915 observations across 5,988 respondents) to assess the relationship between union presence and membership and a validated epidemiological measure of common mental disorders (CMD), the 12-Item General Health Questionnaire with a score of >/4 indicating probable anxiety/depression, referred to as caseness. A mixed-effect log-linear model assessed effect heterogeneity across time and industries, with average marginal effects (AME) indicating effect differences between groups. Findings: In our sample, 49.1% worked in a unionised workplace, among which 53.8% were union members. Caseness prevalence was higher during the pandemic (25.4%) compared to pre-pandemic (18.4%). Working in a workplace with a trade union was associated with modest protection against CMD risk; (AMEpre-pandemic:0.010, 95%CI:-0.007; 0.027), (AME-pandemic:-0.002, 95%CI:-0.019; 0.016)]. Similarly, for union membership [(AMEpre-pandemic:0.016, 95%CI:-0.007; 0.039), (AMEpandemic:-0.010, 95%CI:-0.023; 0.020)]. Industry level heterogeneity exists in the relationship between union presence and membership and mental health. Interpretation: Trade union presence may have a protective effect on workers mental health in periods of crisis, such as during a pandemic. Within unionised workplaces, trade union membership further mitigated the negative effects of the pandemic on mental health. Collective negotiation within workplaces may be protective in periods of uncertainty, benefiting all workers and not only those unionised. Funding: Medical Research Council, Chief Scientist Office, European Research Council, Belgian National Scientific Fund (FNRS).

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Trade unions and mental health during an employment crisis. Evidence from the UK before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Predictive factors of non-pharmacological measures to prevent SARS-CoV-2 contagion: A cross-sectional study in a large adult Spanish sample from PSY-COVID study -

  The objective of the study was to identify the factors that predicted the intention to carry out coronavirus infection prevention behaviors in the Spanish population during the first wave of the pandemic, a time when the vaccines were in the development phase and the containment of the pandemic. depended on non-pharmacological measures. An observational study was carried out based on an online form that contained evaluation instruments for possible predictor variables of 7 prevention behaviors, based on non-probabilistic sampling of the adult Spanish population. Self-efficacy and outcome expectations related to COVID-19 preventive behaviors, as well as the interaction of perceived severity with both personal vulnerability and actual adherence, appeared as the main predictive variables of the intention to carry out preventive behaviors against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Slight but significant differences were observed in behavioral intentions between Spanish autonomous communities, probably linked to the differences in the impact of the pandemic in each territory. It is necessary to implement consistent communications that allow for the development of appropriate expectations and encourage adherence to preventive behaviors, as well as recognizing regional disparities in preventive behaviors and their causes, to promote compliance.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Predictive factors of non-pharmacological measures to prevent SARS-CoV-2 contagion: A cross-sectional study in a large adult Spanish sample from PSY-COVID study
• Serological markers and Post COVID-19 Condition (PCC): A rapid review of the evidence -

  Background: Post COVID-19 Condition (PCC) is highly heterogeneous, often debilitating, and may last for years after infection. The etiology of PCC remains uncertain. Examination of potential serological markers of PCC, accounting for clinical covariates, may yield emergent pathophysiological insights. Methods: In adherence to PRISMA guidelines, we carried out a rapid review of the literature. We searched Medline and Embase for primary observational studies that compared IgG response in individuals who experienced COVID-19 symptoms persisting ≥12 weeks post-infection with those who did not. We examined relationships between serological markers and PCC status and investigated sources of inter-study variability, such as severity of acute illness, PCC symptoms assessed, and target antigen(s). Results: Of 8,018 unique records, we identified 29 as being eligible for inclusion in synthesis. Definitions of PCC varied. In studies that reported anti-nucleocapsid (N) IgG (n=10 studies; n=989 participants in aggregate), full or partial anti-Spike IgG (i.e., the whole trimer, S1 or S2 subgroups, or receptor binding domain, n=19 studies; n=2606 participants), or neutralizing response (n=7 studies; n=1123 participants), we did not find strong evidence to support any difference in serological markers between groups with and without persisting symptoms. However, most studies did not account for severity or level of care required during acute illness, and other potential confounders. Conclusions: Pooling of studies would enable more robust exploration of clinical and serological predictors among diverse populations. However, substantial inter-study variations hamper comparability. Standardized reporting practices would improve the quality, consistency, and comprehension of study findings.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Serological markers and Post COVID-19 Condition (PCC): A rapid review of the evidence
• How feasible is it to mobilize $31 billion a year for pandemic preparedness and response? An economic growth modelling analysis -

  Background: Covid-19 has reinforced the strong health and economic case for investing in pandemic preparedness and response (PPR). The World Bank and World Health Organization (WHO) propose that low- and middle-income governments and donor countries should invest $31.1 billion each year for PPR. We analyse, based on the projected economic growth of countries between 2022 and 2027, how likely it is that low- and middle-income country governments and donors can mobilize the estimated funding. Methods: We modelled trends in economic growth to project domestic health spending by low- and middle-income governments and official development assistance (ODA) by donors for years 2022 to 2027. We modelled two scenarios for countries and donors, a constant and an optimistic scenario. Under the constant scenario we assume that countries and donors continue to dedicate the same proportion of their health spending and ODA as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) and gross national income (GNI), respectively, as they did during baseline (the latest year for which data are available). In the optimistic scenario, we assume a yearly increase of 2.5% in health spending as a share of GDP for countries and ODA as a share of GNI for donors. Findings: Our analysis shows that low-income countries would need to invest on average 37%, lower-middle income countries 9%, and upper-middle income countries 1%, of their total health spending on PPR each year under the constant scenario to meet the World Bank WHO targets. Donors would need to allocate on average 8% of their total ODA across all sectors to PPR each year to meet their target. Conclusions: The World Bank WHO targets for PPR will not be met unless low- and middle-income governments and donors spend a much higher share of their funding on PPR. Even under optimistic growth scenarios, low-income and lower-middle income countries will require increased support from global health donors. The donor target cannot be met using the yearly increase in ODA under any scenario. If the country and donor targets are not met, the highest-impact health security measures need to be prioritized for funding. Alternative sources of PPR financing could include global taxation (e.g., on financial transactions, carbon, or airline flights), cancelling debt, and addressing illicit financial flows. There is also a need for continued work on estimating current PPR costs and funding requirements in order to arrive at more enduring and reliable estimates.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: How feasible is it to mobilize $31 billion a year for pandemic preparedness and response? An economic growth modelling analysis
• Caregivers’ Perceptions of COVID-19 Educational Disruptions 1 on Children with 2 Developmental Language Disorder and Typically Developing Peers -
  Purpose: Understanding the experiences of families of children with developmental language disorder (DLD) during COVID-19 educational disruptions is essential for designing responsive supports during pandemic recovery efforts and beyond. This qualitative study describes the experiences of families of first- and second-grade children with DLD during the pandemic as compared to the experiences of families of typically developing (TD) peers. Method: A conventional content analysis approach was used to analyze caregivers’ written responses to open-ended questions regarding their perceptions of COVID-19 educational disruptions. Responses were analyzed separately by group: caregivers of children with DLD (n = 23) and caregivers of TD children (n = 22). Results: Four categories of caregiver responses were generated for each group: impacts on children, remote learning challenges, impacts on caregivers, and protective factors. For both groups, concerns about the child’s well-being and literacy learning were most prevalent, and more prevalent than concerns about oral language. Most caregivers in each group described negative impacts of educational disruptions on their child. As compared to caregivers of TD children, caregivers of children with DLD reported higher rates of remote learning challenges and more negative impacts on literacy learning, speech and/or language, and education in general. DLD caregivers also shared fewer positive comments and comments related to protective factors.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Caregivers’ Perceptions of COVID-19 Educational Disruptions 1 on Children with 2 Developmental Language Disorder and Typically Developing Peers
• Making ends meet: spatial and socio-economic variations during the 2020- 2021 Covid-19 Lockdown in South Africa -
  To mitigate the ravages of Covid-19, governments across the world imposed limitations on human movement from early 2020 onwards. In South Africa, as elsewhere, such limitations were framed as aiming to achieve a delicate balance between saving lives and livelihoods. One way to test the impact on livelihoods is to look at various socio-economic metrics, and their spatial patterns over time. We draw on data from the UJ-HSRC national Covid-19 Democracy Survey, a weighted, nationally representative sample (n = 38 785), collected from April 2020 to July 2021. Data from four iterations of the survey are used. We assess changes in the socio- economic and psycho-social conditions experienced by the adult population in South Africa, indicative that the experience of socio-economic distress far exceeded the epidemiological impact of the pandemic. Whereas infection rates during this peak period of the pandemic reached about 5% of the population, with provincial variation between 2% and 7%, experience of hunger and/or fear affected more than one-third. We find that feelings of fear were dominant in those areas where livelihoods were most affected by the pandemic, ostensibly caused by uncertainties related to job and income losses reported by a large number of respondents in the economic hubs of the country. Regarding economic distress, results indicated decreases in the large metropolitan areas of Johannesburg and Cape Town, but increases in other parts of the country. The results are significant in providing insight to changing distress levels, which is important for planning for distress relief allocation efforts.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Making ends meet: spatial and socio-economic variations during the 2020- 2021 Covid-19 Lockdown in South Africa

From Clinical Trials

• Lithium Long COVID Dose-finding Study - Conditions: Long COVID
  Interventions: Dietary Supplement: Lithium
  Sponsors: State University of New York at Buffalo
  Not yet recruiting

• Preoperative Educational Videos on Maternal Stress Whose Children Received Congenital Heart Disease Surgery: During COVID-19 Panic - Conditions: COVID-19; Educational Videos; Maternal; Uncertainty; Anxiety; Depression; Congenital Heart Disease; Children
  Interventions: Other: Preoperative educational videos plus routine education; Other: Preoperative routine education
  Sponsors: Chung Shan Medical University
  Completed

• Pharmacokinetics and Safety of GST-HG171 Tablets in Subjects With Impaired and Normal Renal Function - Conditions: COVID-19 Pneumonia
  Interventions: Drug: GST-HG171 Tablets
  Sponsors: Fujian Akeylink Biotechnology Co., Ltd.
  Recruiting

• Pharmacokinetics and Safety of GST-HG171 Tablets in Subjects With Impaired and Normal Liver Function - Conditions: COVID-19 Pneumonia
  Interventions: Drug: GST-HG171 Tablets
  Sponsors: Fujian Akeylink Biotechnology Co., Ltd.
  Completed

• Evaluation of Concordance Between Exhaled Air Test (eBAM-CoV) and RT-PCR to Detect SARS-CoV-2 - Conditions: SARS-CoV-2 Infection; COVID-19; Coronavirus
  Interventions: Device: eBAM Cov Testing
  Sponsors: Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nīmes; University of Nimes; brains’ laboratory sas, FRANCE
  Not yet recruiting

• Study to Safety, Tolerability and Immunogenicity of EG-COVII in Healthy Adult - Conditions: COVID-19
  Interventions: Biological: EG-COVII
  Sponsors: EyeGene Inc.
  Recruiting

• Pharmacokinetics and Bioequivalence of Aterixen 100 mg Tablets and Aterixen 100 mg Film-coated Tablets in Healthy Volunteers - Conditions: Viral Infection COVID-19
  Interventions: Drug: Aterixen
  Sponsors: Valenta Pharm JSC
  Not yet recruiting

• Long COVID Brain Fog: Cognitive Rehabilitation Trial - Conditions: Long COVID; Brain Fog; Cognitive Impairment; Cognitive Dysfunction; Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome
  Interventions: Behavioral: Speed of Processing Training; Behavioral: In-lab Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Training; Behavioral: In-lab Brain Health Training; Behavioral: Transfer Package; Behavioral: Follow Up Phone Calls; Behavioral: Vocational Rehabilitation; Behavioral: Peer Mentoring
  Sponsors: University of Alabama at Birmingham; National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research
  Not yet recruiting

• Paradoxical Response to Chest Wall Loading in Mechanically Ventilated Patients - Conditions: ARDS; COVID-19; Mechanical Ventilation Pressure High; Ventilator-Induced Lung Injury
  Interventions: Diagnostic Test: Manual loading of the chest wall
  Sponsors: HealthPartners Institute
  Withdrawn

• A Practical RCT of TCM in the Treatment of LCOVID and Analysis of Syndrome Types and Medication Characteristics. - Conditions: Long COVID
  Interventions: Drug: Traditional Chinese medicine treatment; Drug: Western medicine treatment
  Sponsors: Chinese University of Hong Kong
  Not yet recruiting

• Immunogenicity of Concomitant Administration of COVID-19 Vaccines With Influenza Vaccines - Conditions: COVID-19; Influenza; Vaccine Reaction; Contaminant Injected
  Interventions: Biological: Omicron-containing COVID-19 vaccine; Biological: influenza vaccine
  Sponsors: Catholic Kwandong University; Korea University Guro Hospital
  Recruiting

• Narrative Intervention for Long COVID-19 (NICO) - Conditions: Long COVID; Long Covid19
  Interventions: Behavioral: Narrative Intervention for Long COVID-19 (NICO)
  Sponsors: University of Colorado, Denver
  Active, not recruiting

• Home-Based Respiratory Muscle Strength Training Program for Individuals With Post-COVID-19 Persistent Dyspnea - Conditions: Post-COVID-19 Syndrome; Dyspnea
  Interventions: Device: Respiratory Muscle Strength Trainers
  Sponsors: University of South Florida
  Not yet recruiting

• Inspiratory Muscle Strength Training in Post-Covid Syndrome - Conditions: Cardiovascular Abnormalities; Post-COVID-19 Syndrome; Physical Exercise
  Interventions: Other: Inspiratory muscle strength training
  Sponsors: D’Or Institute for Research and Education
  Recruiting

• Inspiratory Muscle Training in People With Long COVID-19- A Pilot Investigation. - Conditions: Long COVID
  Interventions: Device: PrO2
  Sponsors: University of Bath; Swansea University
  Not yet recruiting

From PubMed

• Superior anti-pulmonary viral potential of Natrialba sp. M6-producing surfactin and C50 carotenoid pigment with unveiling its action modes - CONCLUSION: This study declared the promising efficacy of Sur as an efficient pharmacological treatment option for these pulmonary viruses and considered as guide for further in vivo research.

• Identifying the Potential of miRNAs in Houttuynia cordata-Derived Exosome-Like Nanoparticles Against Respiratory RNA Viruses - INTRODUCTION: Pathogenic respiratory RNA viruses, including influenza A virus (IAV), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and SARS-CoV-2, are major causes of causes of acute respiratory infection globally. Plant-derived exosome-like nanoparticles containing miRNAs have shown substantial cross-kingdom regulatory effects on both viral and human transcripts. Houttuynia cordata (H. cordata), a traditional Chinese medicine frequently used to treat respiratory diseases. However, the role of H….

• Hypercapnia increases ACE2 expression and pseudo-SARS-CoV-2 entry in bronchial epithelial cells by augmenting cellular cholesterol - Patients with chronic lung disease, obesity, and other co-morbid conditions are at increased risk of severe illness and death when infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Hypercapnia, the elevation of CO(2) in blood and tissue, commonly occurs in patients with severe acute and chronic lung disease, including those with pulmonary infections, and is also associated with high mortality risk. We previously reported that hypercapnia increases viral replication and…

• Clinical and Immunological Impacts of Latent Toxoplasmosis on COVID-19 Patients - Background Parasites are well-known immune-modulators. They inhibit some aspects of the immune system to ensure persistence inside the host for a long time; meanwhile, they stimulate other immune aspects to assure the survival of the host. Wide variations in the severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among developed and developing countries were reported during the COVID-19 pandemic. Parasitic infections, including Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii), were claimed to contribute to such…

• IgG antibody levels against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in mother-child dyads after COVID-19 vaccination - CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 mRNA vaccines induce high anti-SARS-CoV-2 S titers in pregnant women, which can inhibit the binding of ACE2 to protein S and are efficiently transferred to the fetus. However, there was a rapid decrease in antibody levels at 2 to 3 months post-partum, particularly in infants.

• Neurotoxic effects of chloroquine and its main transformation product formed after chlorination - Pharmaceutical transformation products (TPs) generated during wastewater treatment have become an environmental concern. However, there is limited understanding regarding the TPs produced from pharmaceuticals during wastewater treatment. In this study, chloroquine (CQ), which was extensively used for treating coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) infections during the pandemic, was selected for research. We identified and fractionated the main TP produced from CQ during chlorine disinfection and…

• Development of Pan-Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Agents through Allosteric Inhibition of nsp14/nsp10 Complex - SARS-CoV-2 nsp14 functions both as an exoribonuclease (ExoN) together with its critical cofactor nsp10 and as an S-adenosyl methionine-dependent (guanine-N7) methyltransferase (MTase), which makes it an attractive target for the development of pan-anti-SARS-CoV-2 drugs. Herein, we screened a panel of compounds (and drugs) and found that certain compounds, especially Bi(III)-based compounds, could allosterically inhibit both MTase and ExoN activities of nsp14 potently. We further demonstrated…

• Unraveling bioactive metabolites of mangroves as putative inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro and RBD proteins: molecular dynamics and ADMET analysis - COVID-19 is a deadly pandemic caused by Corona virus leading to millions of deaths worldwide. Till today no medicine was available to cure this disease. This study selected 262 potential bioactive natural products derived from mangroves to inhibit the main protease (Mpro) and receptor-binding domain (RBD) protein of the COVID-19 virus. All the ligands were subjected to Adsorption Digestion Metabolism Excretion and Toxicity (ADMET) predictions and docking studies using AutodockVina. Among all the…

• Immunogenicity of Co-Administered Omicron BA.4/BA.5 Bivalent COVID-19 and Quadrivalent Seasonal Influenza Vaccines in Israel during the 2022-2023 Winter Season - Vaccination against COVID-19 and influenza provides the best defense against morbidity and mortality. Administering both vaccines concurrently may increase vaccination rates and reduce the burden on the healthcare system. This study evaluated the immunogenicity of healthcare workers in Israel who were co-administered with the Omicron BA.4/BA.5 bivalent COVID-19 vaccine and the 2022-2023 quadrivalent influenza vaccine. SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody titers were measured via microneutralization…

• Longitudinal Analysis of SARS-CoV-2-Specific Cellular and Humoral Immune Responses and Breakthrough Infection following BNT162b2/BNT162b2/BNT162b2 and ChAdOx1/ChAdOx1/BNT162b2 Vaccination: A Prospective Cohort in Naive Healthcare Workers - Assessing immune responses post-SARS-CoV-2 vaccination is crucial for optimizing vaccine strategies. This prospective study aims to evaluate immune responses and breakthrough infection in 235 infection-naïve healthcare workers up to 13-15 months after initial vaccination in two vaccine groups (108 BNT/BNT/BNT and 127 ChAd/ChAd/BNT). Immune responses were assessed using the interferon-gamma enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT) assay, total immunoglobulin, and neutralizing activity through surrogate…

• RSL3 Inhibits Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus Replication by Activating Ferroptosis - Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) is a highly contagious coronavirus that induces diarrhea and death in neonatal piglets, resulting in substantial economic losses to the global swine industry. The mechanisms of PEDV infection and the roles of host factors are still under exploration. In this study, we used the ferroptosis pathway downstream target activator (1S,3R)-RSL3 compound as a starting point, combined with the interactions of N-acetylcysteine and deferoxamine, to elucidate the…

• Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Analysis of the 3CL Protease Inhibitor Ensitrelvir in a SARS-CoV-2 Infection Mouse Model - The small-molecule antiviral drug ensitrelvir targets the 3C-like protease of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This study evaluated its inhibitory effect on viral replication in a delayed-treatment mouse model and investigated the relationship between pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters and pharmacodynamic (PD) effects. SARS-CoV-2 gamma-strain-infected BALB/c mice were orally treated with various doses of ensitrelvir starting 24 h post-infection. Effectiveness was…

• Viral Entry Inhibitors Protect against SARS-CoV-2-Induced Neurite Shortening in Differentiated SH-SY5Y Cells - The utility of human neuroblastoma cell lines as in vitro model to study neuro-invasiveness and neuro-virulence of SARS-CoV-2 has been demonstrated by our laboratory and others. The aim of this report is to further characterize the associated cellular responses caused by a pre-alpha SARS-CoV-2 strain on differentiated SH-SY5Y and to prevent its cytopathic effect by using a set of entry inhibitors. The susceptibility of SH-SY5Y to SARS-CoV-2 was confirmed at high multiplicity-of-infection,…

• The Ubiquitin-Proteasome System Facilitates Membrane Fusion and Uncoating during Coronavirus Entry - Although the involvement of the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) in several coronavirus-productive infections has been reported, whether the UPS is required for infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) and porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) infections is unclear. In this study, the role of UPS in the IBV and PEDV life cycles was investigated. When the UPS was suppressed by pharmacological inhibition at the early infection stage, IBV and PEDV infectivity were severely impaired. Further study showed…

• Extracellular Vesicles as a Translational Approach for the Treatment of COVID-19 Disease: An Updated Overview - Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) caused a global pandemic in the years 2020-2022. With a high prevalence, an easy route of transmission, and a long incubation time, SARS-CoV-2 spread quickly and affected public health and socioeconomic conditions. Several points need to be elucidated about its mechanisms of infection, in particular, its capability to evade the immune system and escape from neutralizing antibodies. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are phospholipid…

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