The presence of SARS-CoV-2 in untreated sewage has been confirmed in many countries but its incidence and infection risk in contaminated freshwaters is still poorly understood. The River Thames in the UK receives untreated sewage from 57 Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs), with many discharging dozens of times per year. We investigated if such discharges provide a pathway for environmental transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Samples of wastewater, surface water, and sediment collected close to six CSOs on the River Thames were assayed over 8 months for SARS-CoV-2 RNA and infectious virus. Bivalves were sampled as sentinel species of viral bioaccumulation. Sediment and water samples from the Danube and Sava rivers in Serbia, where raw sewage is also discharged in high volumes, were assayed as a positive control. We found no evidence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA or infectious virus in UK samples, in contrast to RNA positive water and sediment samples from Serbia. Furthermore, we show that infectious SARS-CoV-2 inoculum is stable in Thames water and sediment for < 3 days, while RNA remained detectable for at least seven days. This indicates that dilution of wastewater likely limits environmental transmission, and that infectivity should be embedded in future risk assessments of pathogen spillover.
SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19, has displayed person to person transmission in a variety of indoor situations. This potential for robust transmission has posed significant challenges to day-to-day activities of colleges and universities where indoor learning is a focus. Concerns about transmission in the classroom setting have been of concern for students, faculty and staff. With the simultaneous implementation of both non-pharmaceutical and pharmaceutical control measures meant to curb the spread of the disease, defining whether in-class instruction without any physical distancing is a risk for driving transmission is important. We examined the evidence for SARS-CoV-2 transmission on a large urban university campus that mandated vaccination and masking but was otherwise fully open without physical distancing during a time of ongoing transmission of SARS-CoV-2 both at the university and in the surrounding counties. Using weekly surveillance testing of all on-campus individuals and rapid contact tracing of individuals testing positive for the virus we found little evidence of in-class transmission. Of more than 140,000 in- person class events, only nine instances of potential in-class transmission were identified. When each of these events were further interrogated by whole-genome sequencing of all positive cases significant genetic distance was identified between all potential in-class transmission pairings, providing evidence that all individuals were infected outside of the classroom. These data suggest that under robust transmission abatement strategies, in-class instruction is not an appreciable source of disease transmission.
Introduction: Despite the development of safe and highly efficacious COVID-19 vaccines, extensive barriers to achieving optimal coverage threaten the effectiveness of vaccines in controlling the pandemic. Notably, marginalization produces structural and social inequalities that render certain populations disproportionately vulnerable to COVID-19 incidence, morbidity, and mortality, and less likely to be vaccinated. The purpose of this scoping review is to provide a comprehensive overview of definitions/conceptualizations, elements, and determinants of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among marginalized populations in the U.S. and Canada. Materials and Methods: The proposed scoping review follows the framework outlined by Arksey and O’Malley, and further developed by the Joanna Briggs Institute. It will comply with reporting guidelines from the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). The overall research question is: What are the definitions/conceptualizations and factors associated with vaccine hesitancy in the context of COVID-19 vaccines among adults from marginalized populations in the U.S. and Canada. Search strategies will be developed using controlled vocabulary and selected keywords, and customized for relevant databases, in collaboration with a research librarian. The results will be analyzed and synthesized quantitatively (i.e., frequencies) and qualitatively (i.e., thematic analysis) in relation to the research questions, guided by a revised WHO Vaccine Hesitancy Matrix. Discussion: This scoping review will contribute to honing and advancing the conceptualization of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and broader elements and determinants of underutilization of COVID-19 vaccination among marginalized populations, identify evidence gaps, and support recommendations for research and practice moving forward.
Background: There has been little systematic research on the mortality impact of COVID-19 in the Native American population. Objective: We provide the first estimates of loss of life expectancy directly due to COVID-19 in 2020 and 2021 for the Native American population. Methods: We use several sources of data (the 2019 life table recently released by the National Center for Health Statistics for Native Americans, provisional COVID-19 deaths by age and race/ethnicity for 2020 and 2021, and population estimates from the US Census Bureau), along with multiple decrement techniques, to calculate life tables for Native Americans that include COVID-19 mortality. Results: Native Americans had much lower life expectancy than other groups before the pandemic, which set this population further behind: the estimated loss in life expectancy at birth due to COVID-19 for Native Americans is 2.5 years in 2020 and 2.8 years in 2021. Conclusions: These results underscore the disproportionate share of COVID-19 deaths experienced by Native Americans: a loss in 2020 due to COVID-19 that is almost three times as large as that for Whites and about a half-year greater than that for the Black population. Despite a successful vaccination campaign among Native Americans, the estimated loss in life expectancy at birth due to COVID-19 in 2021 unexpectedly exceeds that in 2020. Contribution: The increased loss in life expectancy in 2021, despite higher vaccination rates than in other racial/ethnic groups, highlights the huge challenges faced by Native Americans in their efforts to control the deleterious consequences of the pandemic.
Background: The impact of chronic health conditions (CHC) on serostatus post-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccination is unknown. Methods: We assessed serostatus post-SARS-CoV-2 vaccination among fully vaccinated participants recruited between April 2021 through August 2021 in 18 years and older residents of Jefferson County, Kentucky, USA. Serostatus was determined by measuring SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein specific immunoglobulin (Ig) G (Spike IgG) antibodies via enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) in peripheral blood samples. Results: Of the 5,178 fully vaccinated participants, 51 were seronegative and 5,127 were seropositive. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) (OR=13.49; 95% CI: 4.88, 37.3; P<0.0001) and autoimmune disease (OR=11.34; 95% CI: 5.21, 24.69; P<0.0001) showed highest association with negative serostatus in fully vaccinated participants. The absence of any CHC was strongly associated with positive serostatus (OR=0.37; 95% CI: 0.19, 0.73; P=0.003). The risk of negative serostatus increased in the presence of two CHCs (OR=2.82; 95% CI: 1.14, 7) to three or more CHCs (OR=4.52; 95% CI: 1.68, 12.14). Similarly, use of 2 or more CHC related medications was significantly associated with seronegative status (OR=6.08; 95%: 2.01, 18.35). Conclusions: Presence of any CHC, especially CKD or autoimmune disease, increased the likelihood of seronegative status among individuals who were fully vaccinated to SAR-CoV-2. This risk increased with a concurrent increase in number of comorbidities, especially with multiple medications. Absence of any CHC was protective and increased the likelihood of a positive serological response post-vaccination. These results will help develop appropriate guidelines for booster doses and targeted vaccination programs.
Introduction. Shared characteristics between COVID-19 and pulmonary fibrosis, including symptoms, genetic architecture, and circulating biomarkers, suggests interstitial lung disease (ILD) development may be associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods. The UKILD Post-COVID study planned interim analysis was designed to stratify risk groups and estimate the prevalence of Post-COVID Interstitial Lung Damage (ILDam) using the Post-HOSPitalisation COVID-19 (PHOSP-COVID) Study. Demographics, radiological patterns and missing data were assessed descriptively. Bayes binomial regression was used to estimate the risk ratio of persistent lung damage >10% involvement in linked, clinically indicated CT scans. Indexing thresholds of percent predicted DLco, chest X-ray findings and severity of admission were used to generate risk strata. Number of cases within strata were used to estimate the amount of suspected Post-COVID ILDam. Results. A total 3702 people were included in the UKILD interim cohort, 2406 completed an early follow-up research visit within 240 days of discharge and 1296 had follow-up through routine clinical review. We linked the cohort to 87 clinically indicated CTs with visually scored radiological patterns (median 119 days from discharge; interquartile range 83 to 155, max 240), of which 74 people had ILDam. ILDam was associated with abnormal chest X-ray (RR 1.21 95%CrI 1.05; 1.40), percent predicted DLco<80% (RR 1.25 95%CrI 1.00; 1.56) and severe admission (RR 1.27 95%CrI 1.07; 1.55). A risk index based on these features suggested 6.9% of the interim cohort had moderate to very-high risk of Post-COVID ILDam. Comparable radiological patterns were observed in repeat scans >90 days in a subset of participants. Conclusion. These interim data highlight that ILDam was not uncommon in clinically indicated thoracic CT up to 8 months following SARS-CoV-2 hospitalisation. Whether the ILDam will progress to ILD is currently unknown, however health services should radiologically and physiologically monitor individuals who have Post-COVID ILDam risk factors.
Multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants have successively, or concommitantly spread worldwide since summer 2020. A few co- infections with different variants were reported and genetic recombinations, common among coronaviruses, were reported or suspected based on co-detection of signature mutations of different variants in a given genome. Here we report three infections in southern France with a Delta 21J/AY.4-Omicron 21K/BA.1 Deltamicron recombinant. The hybrid genome harbors signature mutations of the two lineages, supported by a mean sequencing depth of 1,163-1,421 reads and mean nucleotide diversity of 0.1-0.6%. It is composed of the near full-length spike gene (from codons 156-179) of an Omicron 21K/BA.1 variant in a Delta 21J/AY.4 lineage backbone. Importantly, we cultured an isolate of this recombinant and sequenced its genome. It was observed by scanning electron microscopy. As it is misidentified with current variant screening qPCR, we designed and implemented for routine diagnosis a specific duplex qPCR. Finally, structural analysis of the recombinant spike suggested its hybrid content could optimize viral binding to the host cell membrane. These findings prompt further studies of the virological, epidemiological, and clinical features of this recombinant.
SARS-CoV-2 virus genomes are currently being sequenced at an unprecedented pace. The choice of viral sequences used in genetic and epidemiological analysis is important as it can induce biases that detract from the value of these rich datasets. This raises questions about how a set of sequences should be chosen for analysis, and which epidemiological parameters derived from genomic data are sensitive or robust to changes in sampling. We provide initial insights on these largely understudied problems using SARS-CoV-2 genomic sequences from Hong Kong and the Amazonas State, Brazil. We consider sampling schemes that select sequences uniformly, in proportion or reciprocally with case incidence and which simply use all available sequences (unsampled). We apply Birth-Death Skyline and Skygrowth methods to estimate the time-varying reproduction number (Rt) and growth rate (rt) under these strategies as well as related R0 and date of origin parameters. We compare these to estimates from case data derived from EpiFilter, which we use as a reference for assessing bias. We find that both Rt and rt are sensitive to changes in sampling whilst R0 and the date of origin are relatively robust. Moreover, we find that the unsampled datasets, which reflect an opportunistic sampling scheme, engender the most biased Rt and rt estimates for both our Hong Kong and Amazonas case studies. We highlight that sampling strategy choices may be an influential yet neglected component of sequencing analysis pipelines. More targeted attempts at genomic surveillance and epidemic analyses, particularly in resource-poor settings with limited sequencing capabilities, are necessary to maximise the informativeness of virus genomic datasets.
Objective The ABO system modulates the inflammatory response, and it has been involved in SARS-CoV-2 infection. There is increasing evidence of underlying immune-inflammatory mechanisms in post-COVID-19 syndrome (PCS). Blood group O seems to protect against COVID-19 infection, but there is no data on the relationship between blood group O and PCS. This study aimed to assess this potential association. Subjects and methods A case-control study including subjects who had suffered from mild COVID-19 in a community setting was designed. Cases were PCS+ patients, controls were PCS- subjects and the exposure variable was blood group O. Baseline epidemiological data (age, sex, BMI, smoking, comorbidities), and clinical and laboratory parameters (inflammatory markers and IgG anti-N antibodies) 3 months after the acute episode, were obtained. Five composite indices of inflammation were built, combining the upper ranges of the distributions of inflammatory markers. Blood group and Rh factor were obtained from the patient9s medical history or capillary blood samples. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed. Results One-hundred and twenty-one subjects were analyzed (56.2% women). The mean age was 45.7 (16) years (range, 18-88 years). Blood group frequencies were 43.3% (group A), 7.7% (group B), 5.7% (group AB), and 43.3% (group O). Thirty-six patients were classified as PCS+ (25 women, 11 men; p=0.07). The most frequent symptom was fatigue (42.8%). There were no significant differences between PCS+ and PCS- subjects regarding age, BMI, smoking, or previous comorbidity. The prevalence of PCS was 43.2% (19/44) in the blood group O and 23.7% in non-O subjects (14/60) (p=0.036). The mean number of PCS symptoms was 0.82
Background- We present the data from an open-label study involved in the selection of optimum formulation of RBD-based protein sub-unit COVID-19 vaccine. Methods- The randomized Phase-1/2 trial followed by a Phase-2 trial was carried out to assess safety and immunogenicity of different formulation of COVID-19 vaccine (Corbevax) and select an optimum formulation for a phase 3 study. Healthy adults without a history of Covid-19 vaccination or SARS-CoV-2 infection, were enrolled. Findings- Low incidence of AEs were reported post vaccination of different Corbevax formulations and majority were mild in nature and no Grade-3 or serious AEs were observed. All formulations in Phase-1/2 study showed similar profile of humoral and cellular immune-response with higher response associated with increasing CpG1018 adjuvant content at same RBD protein content. Hence, high concentration of CpG1018 was tested in phase-2 study, which showed significant improvement in immune-responses in terms of anti-RBD-IgG concentrations, anti-RBD-IgG1 titers, nAb-titers and cellular immune-responses while maintaining the safety profile. Interestingly, binding and neutralizing antibody titers were persisted consistently till 6 months post second vaccine dose. Interpretations- Corbevax was well tolerated with no observed safety concerns. Neutralizing antibody titers were suggestive of high vaccine effectiveness compared with human convalescent plasma or protective thresholds observed during vaccine efficacy trials of other COVID-19 vaccines. The study was prospectively registered with clinical trial registry of India- CTRI/2021/06/034014 and CTRI/2020/11/029032. Funding: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, BIRAC- division of Department of Biotechnology, Govt of India, and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations funded the study.
Effect of Bronchipret on Antiviral Immune Response in Patients With Mild COVID-19 - Condition: COVID-19
Intervention: Drug: Bronchipret
Sponsors: Dr. Frank Behrens; Bionorica SE
Recruiting
Evaluating Public Health Interventions to Improve COVID-19 Testing Among Underserved Populations - Condition: COVID-19
Intervention: Behavioral: Public Health Intervention Package
Sponsors: Kathleen Fairfield; MaineHealth
Not yet recruiting
COVID-19 Serologic Strategies for Skilled Nursing Facilities - Condition: COVID-19
Intervention: Other: Cohorting
Sponsors: NYU Langone Health; Brown University; National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Recruiting
Safety, Tolerability and Immunogenicity of Recombinant COVID-19 Vaccine Betuvax-CoV-2 - Condition: COVID-19
Interventions: Biological: Betuvax-CoV-2; Drug: Placebo
Sponsors: Human Stem Cell Institute, Russia; Betuvax LLC; CEG BIO LLC
Active, not recruiting
A Community-based Study of Spikogen®, a Protein-subunit Covid-19 Vaccine - Condition: COVID-19
Intervention: Biological: Advax-CpG55.2 adjuvanted recombinant spike protein
Sponsors: Professor Nikolai Petrovsky; Australian Respiratory and Sleep Medicine Institute; Tasmanian Eye Institute
Not yet recruiting
Evaluation of Full Versus Fractional Dose of COVID-19 Vaccine Given as a Booster for the Prevention of COVID 19 in Adults in Mongolia- Mongolia, Indonesia, Australia Coronavirus (MIACoV). - Condition: COVID-19
Interventions: Biological: Tozinameran - Standard Dose; Biological: Tozinameran - Fractional Dose
Sponsors: Murdoch Childrens Research Institute; Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations; PATH; The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
Not yet recruiting
COVID-19 Volumetric Quantification on Computer Tomography Using Computer Aided Diagnostics - Condition: COVID-19
Intervention: Diagnostic Test: CAD analysis
Sponsors:
Bogdan Bercean; Pius Brinzeu Timisoara County Emergency Hospital
Not yet recruiting
Pulmonary and Extrapulmonary Impacts of COVID-19 on Young Adults - Condition: Post COVID-19
Intervention: Other: Evaluation of Pulmonary and Extrapulmonary Impacts of COVID-19 on Young Adults
Sponsor: Istanbul Arel University
Not yet recruiting
Early High-Titre Convalescent Plasma in Clinically Vulnerable Individuals With Mild COVID-19 - Condition: COVID-19
Interventions: Biological: COVID-19 convalescent and vaccinated plasma; Other: Current standard of care
Sponsors: Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Besancon; Deutsches Rotes Kreuz DRK-Blutspendedienst Baden-Wurttemberg-Hessen; NHS Blood and Transplant
Not yet recruiting
Efficacy of TCM Capsules Lian Hua Qing Wen Jiao Nang in Mild COVID-19 Patients - Condition: COVID-19
Interventions: Other: TCM intervention; Other: Placebo intervention
Sponsor: Singapore Chung Hwa Medical Institution
Not yet recruiting
Trial to Study the Efficacy and Safety of BEJO Red Ginger in COVID-19 Patients With Mild Symptoms - Condition: COVID-19
Interventions: Dietary Supplement: BEJO Red Ginger Extract; Other: Placebo
Sponsors: Research Center for Chemistry, National Research and Innovation Agency of Indonesia; National Research and Innovation Agency of Indonesia; RSDC Wisma Atlet; PT. Bintang Toedjoe
Recruiting
Safety and Pharmacokinetics of FBR-002 for the Treatment of Patients Hospitalized With COVID-19 in Need of Supplemental Oxygen and at Risk of Severe Outcome - Condition: COVID-19
Interventions: Drug: FBR-002; Drug: Placebo
Sponsor:
Fab’entech
Not yet recruiting
MF59®) and mRNA (MIPSCo-mRNA-RBD-1) Vaccines in Healthy Adults** - Condition: SARS-CoV-2
Interventions: Biological: Adjuvanted SARS-CoV-2 beta variant RBD recombinant protein vaccine (DoCo-Pro-RBD-1 + MF59); Biological: SARS-CoV-2 beta variant RBD mRNA vaccine; Other: Normal Saline
Sponsors: University of Melbourne; Southern Star Research
Not yet recruiting
PROSPECTIVE OPEN LABEL CLINICAL TRIAL TO ADMINISTER A BOOSTER DOSE OF PFIZER/BIONTECH OR MODERNA COVID-19 VACCINE IN HIGH-RISK INDIVIDUALS - Conditions: SARS CoV 2 Infection; COVID-19
Interventions:
Biological: Pfizer/BioNTech (BNT162b2); Biological: Moderna
Sponsor:
DHR Health Institute for Research and Development
Recruiting
Self-Management Interventions for Long-COVID - Condition: COVID-19
Interventions: Behavioral: Education and Strategies Intervention; Behavioral: Mindfulness Skills Intervention
Sponsors: Toronto Rehabilitation Institute; Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR); University Health Network, Toronto
Recruiting
Advances in the Omicron variant development - Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV)-2, has spread worldwide leading the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a pandemic, on 11 March 2020. VOCs variants have appeared at regular intervals - alpha, beta, gamma, delta and now omicron. Omicron variant, first identified in Botswana in November 2021, is rapidly becoming the dominant circulating variant. In this review, we provided an overview regarding the molecular profile of the omicron variant, epidemiology,…
Novel antiviral activity of PAD inhibitors against human beta-coronaviruses HCoV-OC43 and SARS-CoV-2 - The current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, along with the likelihood that new coronavirus strains will appear in the nearby future, highlights the urgent need to develop new effective antiviral agents. In this scenario, emerging host-targeting antivirals (HTAs), which act on host-cell factors essential for viral replication, are a promising class of antiviral compounds. Here we show that a new class of HTAs targeting peptidylarginine deiminases (PADs), a family of calcium- dependent enzymes catalyzing…
Identification of Inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 3CL-Pro Enzymatic Activity Using a Small Molecule in Vitro Repurposing Screen - Compound repurposing is an important strategy for the identification of effective treatment options against SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 disease. In this regard, SARS-CoV-2 main protease (3CL-Pro), also termed M-Pro, is an attractive drug target as it plays a central role in viral replication by processing the viral polyproteins pp1a and pp1ab at multiple distinct cleavage sites. We here report the results of a repurposing program involving 8.7 K compounds containing marketed drugs,…
ACE2 overexpressing mesenchymal stem cells alleviates COVID-19 lung injury by inhibiting pyroptosis - Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have shown some efficacy in the COVID-19 treatment. We proposed that exogenous supplementation of ACE2 via MSCs (ACE2-MSCs) might have better therapeutic effects. We constructed SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein stably transfected AT-II and Beas-2B cells, and used SARS-CoV-2 spike pseudovirus to infect hACE2 transgenic mice. The results showed that spike glycoprotein transfection triggers apoptotic bodies’s release and membrane pores’s formation in pyroptosis….
Prediction of putative potential siRNAs for inhibiting SARS-CoV-2 strains, including variants of concern and interest - Aim: To predict siRNAs as a therapeutic intervention for highly infectious new variants of SARS-CoV-2. Methods: Conserved coding sequence regions of 11 SARS-CoV-2 proteins were used to construct siRNAs through sampling of metadata comprising 214,256 sequences. Results: Predicted siRNAs S1: 5’-UCAUUGAGAAAUGUUUACGCA-3’ and S2: 5’-AAAGACAUCAGCAUACUCCUG-3’ against RdRp of SARS-CoV-2 satisfied all the stringent filtering processes and showed good binding characteristics. The designed siRNAs are…
Evaluation of a new bead-based assay to measure levels of human tissue factor antigen in extracellular vesicles in plasma - CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that the MACSPlex Exosome Kit gives a nonspecific signal for TF and does not have the sensitivity to detect TF+ EVs in plasma.
Functional food: complementary to fight against COVID-19 - BACKGROUND: The novel coronavirus has embarked on a global pandemic and severe mortality with limited access for its treatments and medications. For the lack of time, research, and enough efficacy, most vaccines are underdeveloped or unreachable to society. However, many recent studies suggest various alternative, complementary remedies for COVID-19, which are functional foods. This review provides an overview of how functional foods can play a great role through modulating the host immune…
Stability of Risk Perception Across Pandemic and Non-pandemic Situations Among Young Adults: Evaluating the Impact of Individual Differences - Previous research suggests a higher perceived risk associated with a risky behavior predicts a lower likelihood of involvement in that behavior; however, this relationship can vary based on personality characteristics such as impulsivity and behavioral activation. During the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals began to re-evaluate the level of risk associated with everyday behaviors. But what about risks associated with “typical” risk-taking behaviors? In the present study, 248 undergraduate student…
Crystallization of Feline Coronavirus M(pro) With GC376 Reveals Mechanism of Inhibition - Coronaviruses infect a variety of hosts in the animal kingdom, and while each virus is taxonomically different, they all infect their host via the same mechanism. The coronavirus main protease (M^(pro), also called 3CL^(pro)), is an attractive target for drug development due to its essential role in mediating viral replication and transcription. An M^(pro) inhibitor, GC376, has been shown to treat feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), a fatal infection in cats caused by internal mutations in the…
Potential Inhibitors Targeting Papain-Like Protease of SARS-CoV-2: Two Birds With One Stone - Severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the pathogen of the Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19), is still devastating the world causing significant chaos to the international community and posing a significant threat to global health. Since the first outbreak in late 2019, several lines of intervention have been developed to prevent the spread of this virus. Nowadays, some vaccines have been approved and extensively administered. However, the fact that SARS-CoV-2 rapidly…
Clofazimine derivatives as potent broad-spectrum antiviral agents with dual-target mechanism - Thirty-two clofazimine derivatives, of which twenty-two were new, were synthesized and evaluated for their antiviral effects against both rabies virus and pseudo-typed SARS-CoV-2, taking clofazimine (1) as the lead. Among them, compound 15f bearing 4-methoxy-2-pyridyl at the N5-position showed superior or comparable antiviral activities to lead 1, with the EC(50) values of 1.45 μM and 14.6 μM and the SI values of 223 and 6.1, respectively. Compound 15f inhibited rabies and SARS-CoV-2 by…
Potential inhibitor for blocking binding between ACE2 and SARS-CoV-2 spike protein with mutations - At the time of writing, more than 440 million confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases and more than 5.97 million COVID-19 deaths worldwide have been reported by the World Health Organization since the start of the outbreak of the pandemic in Wuhan, China. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many variants of SARS-CoV-2 have arisen because of high mutation rates. N501Y, E484K, K417N, K417T, L452R and T478K in the receptor binding domain (RBD) region may increase the infectivity in several…
A highly sensitive cell-based luciferase assay for high-throughput automated screening of SARS-CoV-2 nsp5/3CLpro inhibitors - Effective drugs against SARS-CoV-2 are urgently needed to treat severe cases of infection and for prophylactic use. The main viral protease (nsp5 or 3CLpro) represents an attractive and possibly broad-spectrum target for drug development as it is essential to the virus life cycle and highly conserved among betacoronaviruses. Sensitive and efficient high- throughput screening methods are key for drug discovery. Here we report the development of a gain-of-signal, highly sensitive cell-based…
New AKT-dependent mechanisms of anti-COVID-19 action of high-CBD Cannabis sativa extracts - COVID-19 is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which enters target cells via interactions with ACE2 and TMPRSS2. Here, we show AKT serine/threonine kinase-dependent epigenetic control of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 expression by high-cannabidiol (CBD) cannabis extracts and their individual components. CBD alone and extracts #1, #5, #7, and #129 downregulated ACE2 and TMPRSS2 in lung fibroblast WI-38 cells through AKT-mediated inhibition. miR-200c-3p and let-7a-5p were two contributing miRNAs in CBD-mediated…
A Natural Plant Source-Tea Polyphenols, a Potential Drug for Improving Immunity and Combating Virus - The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is still in a global epidemic, which has profoundly affected people’s lives. Tea polyphenols (TP) has been reported to enhance the immunity of the body to COVID-19 and other viral infectious diseases. The inhibitory effect of TP on COVID-19 may be achieved through a series of mechanisms, including the inhibition of multiple viral targets, the blocking of cellular receptors, and the activation of transcription factors. Emerging evidence shows…
MACHINE LEARNING TECHNIQUE TO ANALYZE THE WORK PRESSURE OF PARAMEDICAL STAFF DURING COVID 19 - Machine learning technique to analyse the work pressure of paramedical staff during covid 19 is the proposed invention that focuses on identifying the stress levels of paramedical staff. The invention focuses on analysing the level of stress that is induced on the paramedical staff especially during pandemic. - link
CBD Covid 19 Protection - - link
METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR IMPLEMENTING IMPROVED GENERALIZED FUZZY PEER GROUP WITH MODIFIED TRILATERAL FILTER TO REMOVE MIXED IMPULSE AND ADAPTIVE WHITE GAUSSIAN NOISE FROM COLOR IMAGES - ABSTRACTMETHOD AND SYSTEM FOR IMPLEMENTING IMPROVED GENERALIZED FUZZY PEER GROUP WITH MODIFIED TRILATERAL FILTER TO REMOVE MIXED IMPULSE AND ADAPTIVE WHITE GAUSSIAN NOISE FROM COLOR IMAGESThe present invention provides a new approach is proposed that includes fuzzy-based approach and similarity function for filtering the mixed noise. In a peer group, the similarity function was adaptive to edge information and local noise level, which was utilized for detecting the similarity among pixels. In addition, a new filtering method Modified Trilateral Filter (MTF) with Improved Generalized Fuzzy Peer Group (IGFPG) is proposed to remove mixed impulse and Adaptive White Gaussian Noise from Color Images. The modified trilateral filter includes Kikuchi algorithm and loopy belief propagation to solve the inference issues on the basis of passing local message. In this research work, the images were collected from KODAK dataset and a few real time multimedia images like Lena were also used for testing the effectiveness of the proposed methodology. - link
A STUDY ON MENTAL HEALTH, STRESS AND ANXIETY AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS DURING COVID-19 - SARS-Cov-2 virus causes an infectious disease coronavirus(COVID-19).The Students life is made harder by COVID-19.The human reaction that happens normally to everyone through physical or emotional tension is stress. Feeling of angry, nervous and frustration caused through any thought or events leads to stress. As college closures and cancelled events, students are missing out on some of the biggest moments of their young lives as well as everyday moments like chatting with friend, participating in class and cultural programme. For students facing life changes due to the outbreak are feeling anxious, isolated and disappointed which lead them to feel all alone. We like to take the help of expert adolescent psychologist to find out the techniques to practice self-care and look after their mental health. We would like to find out whether techniques used reduce the anxiety and stress among Engineering Students. - link
A METHOD FOR THE TREATMENT OF COVID-19 INFECTIONS WITH PALMITOYLETHANOLAMIDE - - link
A CENTRAL TRANSACTION AUTHENTIC SYSTEM FOR OTP VERIFICATION - The present invention relates to a central transaction authentic system (100) for OTP verification. The system (100) comprises one or more user display units (102), one or more financial units (104), an account deposit unit (106), an OTP authentication unit (108) and a service server unit (110). The central transaction authentic system (100) for OTP verification work as Anti-money laundering measure. The system (100) also helpful for minimizing rate of cybercrime. The central transaction authentic system (100) for OTP verification that can neutralize digital financial fraud. The present invention provides a central transaction authentic system (100) for OTP verification that can monitor and analyze every transaction and customer interaction across its customer base for suspicious and potentially criminal activity. - link
FORMULATIONS AND METHOD FOR PREPARATION OF HERBAL MEDICATED TRANSPARENT SOAP - ABSTRACTFORMULATIONS AND METHOD FOR PREPARATION OF HERBAL MEDICATED TRANSPARENT SOAPThe present invention provides formulations for herbal medicated transparent soaps and method of preparation of the same. Transparent soaps are prepared by saponification of mixture of non-edible oils to get the desired consistency and cleaning action. Nonvolatile alcohols and other transparency promoters are used to get good transparency and binding properties. Herbal extracts of different herbs are added to get medicated properties. - link
SOCIAL NAVIGATION SYSTEM FOR MOBILE ROBOTS IN THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT TECHNOLOGY - The emergency department (ED) is a safety-critical environment in which healthcare workers (HCWs) are overburdened, overworked, and have limited resources, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. One way to address this problem is to explore the use of robots that can support clinical teams, e.g., to deliver materials or restock supplies. However, due to EDs being overcrowded, and the cognitive overload HCWs experience, robots need to understand various levels of patient acuity so they avoid disrupting care delivery. In this invention, we introduce the Safety-Critical Deep Q-Network (SafeDQN) system, a new acuity-aware navigation system for mobile robots. SafeDQN is based on two insights about care in EDs: high-acuity patients tend to have more HCWs in attendance and those HCWs tend to move more quickly. We compared SafeDQN to three classic navigation methods, and show that it generates the safest, quickest path for mobile robots when navigating in a simulated ED environment. We hope this work encourages future exploration of social robots that work in safety-critical, human-centered environments, and ultimately help to improve patient outcomes and save lives. Figure 1. - link
A MACHINE LEARNING BASED SYSTEM FOR DETECTING OMICRON VARIANT FROM A GENOME SEQUENCE AND METHOD THEREOF - The present invention discloses a machine learning based system for detecting omicron variant from a genome sequence and method thereof. The system includes, but not limited to, a processing unit having a memory unit and a machine learning interface embedded on it for validating a variant-induced changes in the one or more condition-specific cell variables are combined to output a single numerical variant score for each of the one or more variants, the variant score computed by one of outputting the score for a fixed condition; summing the variant-induced changes across conditions; computing the maximum of the absolute variant-induced changes across conditions. - link
A SYSTEM BASED ON DEEP LEARNING FOR ANALYZING DELAYED ENHANCEMENT MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING TO IDENTIFY COVID 19 AND METHOD THEREOF - The present invention discloses a system based on deep learning for analyzing delayed enhancement magnetic resonance imaging to identify COVID 19 and method thereof. The method and system include, but not limited to, a processing unit adapted to process the data based on deep learning data modelling in the magnetic resonance imaging associated with the digital image scanning system for diagnosis COVID 19 with the spatial resolution that each frame is deposited is 256 * 256, and being creating that level and vertical resolution respectively are 256 pixels (pixel), the read/write address that the read/write address of each image element, which is controlled by processing unit and forms circuit and finishes; And the data that will be stored in memory are input to a real-time microcontroller, it is characterized in that: analyze and compare by the Multi-source Information Fusion analytical system by using the real-time microcontroller to deliver the D/A changer then, digital signal is become analogue signal output. - link