Background: On 26 November 2021, the world health organization (WHO) designated the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.529 a variant of concern, named Omicron (WHO, 2021a). As of December 16, Omicron has been detected in 89 countries (WHO, 2021b). The thread posed by Omicron is highly uncertain. Methods and findings: For the analysis of the impact of Omicron on infection pressure and hospitalization needs we developed an open-source stochastic SIR (Susceptible- Infectious-Removed) fast-model for simulating the transmission in the transition stage from the prevailing variant (most often Delta) to Omicron. The model is capable to predict trajectories of infection pressure and hospitalization needs, considering (a) uncertainties for the (Omicron) parametrization, (b) pre-existing vaccination and/or partial immunity status of the population, and demographic specific aspects regarding reference hospitalization needs, (c) effects of mitigating measures including social distancing and accelerated vaccination (booster) campaigns. Conclusions: The SIR model approach yields results in fair agreement with Omicron transmission characteristics observed in South Africa and prognosis results in Europe. The equations underlying the SIR formulation allows to effectively explore the effect of Omicron parametrization on anticipated infection growth rates and hospitalization rates relative to the prevailing variant. The models are online available as open source on GitHub.
Objective: To determine whether SRS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 symptom severity are associated with executive dysfunction among members of the general population, including those not hospitalized or exposed to intubation. Design: Cross-sectional observation study with data from an ongoing national cohort study of young and middle-aged adults. The Canadian COVID-19 Experiences Survey (CCES) involves 1,958 adults with equal representation of vaccinated and vaccine hesitant adults between the ages of 18 and 54 years. Setting: Population-based survey of community dwelling adults, representative of the broader Canadian population. Participants: Men and women between 18 and 54 years of age from English and French speaking provinces. The sample comprised 1,958 adults with a mean age of 37 years (SD=10.4); 60.8% were female. Exposures: SARS-CoV-2 infection with COVID-19 symptoms of any severity, ranging from negligeable to life-threatening infection requiring hospitalization. Primary Outcome: Symptoms of cognitive dysfunction assessed via an abbreviated form of the Barkley Deficits in Executive Functioning Scale (BDEFS). Results: Those who reported a prior SARS-CoV-2 infection regardless of COVID-19 symptom severity (Madj=1.89, SE=0.08, CI: 1.74, 2.04; n=175) reported a significantly higher number of symptoms of executive dysfunction than their non-infected counterparts (Madj=1.63, SE=0.08, CI: 1.47,1.80; n=1,599; β=0.26, p=.001). Among those infected, there was a dose-response relationship between COVID-19 symptom severity and level of executive dysfunction, with moderate (β=0.23, CI: 0.003-0.46) and very/extremely severe (β= 0.69, CI: 0.22-1.16) COVID-19 symptoms being associated with significantly greater dysfunction. These effects remained reliable and of similar magnitude after removing those who had been received intubation. Conclusions: Positive SARS-CoV-2 infection history and COVID-19 symptom severity are associated with executive dysfunction among young and middle-aged adults with no history of medically induced coma.
Abstract Background The Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant is rapidly spreading in the US since December 2021 and is more contagious than earlier variants. Currently, data on the severity of the disease caused by the Omicron variant compared with the Delta variant is limited. Here we compared 3-day risks of emergency department (ED) visit, hospitalization, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and mechanical ventilation in patients who were first infected during a time period when the Omicron variant was emerging to those in patients who were first infected when the Delta variant was predominant. Method This is a retrospective cohort study of electronic health record (EHR) data of 577,938 first-time SARS-CoV-2 infected patients from a multicenter, nationwide database in the US during 9/1/2021-12/24/2021, including 14,054 who had their first infection during the 12/15/2021-12/24/2021 period when the Omicron variant emerged (Emergent Omicron cohort) and 563,884 who had their first infection during the 9/1/2021-12/15/2021 period when the Delta variant was predominant (Delta cohort). After propensity-score matching the cohorts, the 3-day risks of four outcomes (ED visit, hospitalization, ICU admission, and mechanical ventilation) were compared. Risk ratios, and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. Results Of 14,054 patients in the Emergent Omicron cohort (average age, 36.4), 27.7% were pediatric patients (<18 years old), 55.4% female, 1.8% Asian, 17.1% Black, 4.8% Hispanic, and 57.3% White. The Emergent Omicron cohort differed significantly from the Delta cohort in demographics, comorbidities, and socio-economic determinants of health. After propensity-score matching for demographics, socio-economic determinants of health, comorbidities, medications and vaccination status, the 3-day risks in the Emergent Omicron cohort outcomes were consistently less than half those in the Delta cohort: ED visit: 4.55% vs. 15.22% (risk ratio or RR: 0.30, 95% CI: 0.28-0.33); hospitalization: 1.75% vs. 3.95% (RR: 0.44, 95% CI: 0.38-0.52]); ICU admission: 0.26% vs. 0.78% (RR: 0.33, 95% CI:0.23-0.48); mechanical ventilation: 0.07% vs. 0.43% (RR: 0.16, 95% CI: 0.08-0.32). In children under 5 years old, the overall risks of ED visits and hospitalization in the Emergent Omicron cohort were 3.89% and 0.96% respectively, significantly lower than 21.01% and 2.65% in the matched Delta cohort (RR for ED visit: 0.19, 95% CI: 0.14-0.25; RR for hospitalization: 0.36, 95% CI: 0.19-0.68). Similar trends were observed for other pediatric age groups (5-11, 12-17 years), adults (18-64 years) and older adults (>= 65 years). Conclusions First time SARS-CoV-2 infections occurring at a time when the Omicron variant was rapidly spreading were associated with significantly less severe outcomes than first-time infections when the Delta variant predominated.
Rapid Antigen Diagnostic Tests (RADTs) for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 offer advantages in that they are cheaper and faster than currently used PCR tests but have reduced sensitivity and specificity. One potential application of RADTs is to facilitate gatherings of individuals, through testing of attendees at the point of, or immediately prior to entry at a venue. Understanding the baseline risk in the tested population is of particular importance when evaluating the utility of applying diagnostic tests for screening purposes. We used incidence data to estimate the prevalence of infectious individuals in the community at a particular time point and simulated mass gatherings by sampling from a series of age cohorts. Nine different illustrative scenarios were simulated, small (n=100), medium (n=1000) and large (n=10,000) gatherings each with 3 possible age constructs: mostly younger, mostly older or a gathering with equal numbers from each age cohort. For each scenario, we estimated the prevalence of infectious attendees, then simulated the likely number of positive and negative test results, the proportion of cases detected and the corresponding positive and negative predictive values, and the cost per case identified. Our findings suggest that for each detected individual on a given day, there are likely to be 13.8 additional infectious individuals also present in the community. Prevalence of infectious individuals at events was highest with mostly younger attendees (1.00%), followed by homogenous age gatherings (0.55%) and lowest with mostly older events (0.26%). For small events (100 attendees) the expected number of infectious attendees was less than 1 across all age constructs of attendees. For large events (10,000 attendees) the expected number of infectious attendees ranged from 26 (95% confidence intervals 12 to
Analysis of circa 4.2 million severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) genome sequences on Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID) shows the spike mutations N501Y (common to Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Omicron variants) and P681R (central to Delta variant spread) have cooccurred 3,678 times between 17 October 2020 and 1 November 2021. In contrast, the N501Y+P681H combination is present in Alpha and Omicron variants and circa 1.1 million entries. Two-thirds of the 3,678 cooccurrences were in France, Turkey or US (East Coast), and the rest across 62 other countries. 55.5% and 4.6% of the cooccurrences were Alpha Q.4 and Gamma P.1.8 sub-lineages acquiring P681R; 10.7% and 3.8% were Delta B.1.617.2 lineage and AY.33 sub-lineage acquiring N501Y; remaining 10.2% were in other variants. Despite the selective advantages individually conferred by N501Y and P681R, the N501Y+P681R combi-nation counterintuitively did not outcompete other variants in every instance. Although a relief to worldwide public health efforts, in vitro and in vivo studies are urgently required in the absence of a strong in silico explanation for this phenomenon. This study demonstrates a pipeline to analyse combinations of key mutations from public domain information in a systematic manner and provide early warnings of spread.
The Omicron SARS-CoV-2 virus contains extensive sequence changes relative to the earlier arising B.1, B.1.1 and Delta SARS-CoV-2 variants that have unknown effects on viral infectivity and response to existing vaccines. Using SARS- CoV-2 virus-like particles (SC2-VLPs), we examined mutations in all four structural proteins and found that Omicron showed increased infectivity relative to B.1, B.1.1 and similar to Delta, a property conferred by S and N protein mutations. Thirty-eight antisera samples from individuals vaccinated with tozinameran (Pfizer/BioNTech), elasomeran (Moderna), Johnson & Johnson vaccines and convalescent sera from unvaccinated COVID-19 survivors had moderately to dramatically reduced efficacy to prevent cell transduction by VLPs containing the Omicron mutations. The Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccine antisera showed strong neutralizing activity against VLPs possessing the ancestral spike protein (B.1, B.1.1), with 3-fold reduced efficacy against Delta and 15-fold lower neutralization against Omicron VLPs. Johnson & Johnson antisera showed minimal neutralization of any of the VLPs tested. Furthermore, the monoclonal antibody therapeutics Casirivimab and Imdevimab had robust neutralization activity against B.1, B.1.1 or Delta VLPs but no detectable neutralization of Omicron VLPs. Our results suggest that Omicron is at least as efficient at assembly and cell entry as Delta, and the antibody response triggered by existing vaccines or previous infection, at least prior to boost, will have limited ability to neutralize Omicron. In addition, some currently available monoclonal antibodies will not be useful in treating Omicron-infected patients.
Introduction: Vaccine hesitancy and inconsistent mitigation behavior performance have been significant challenges throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. In Canada, despite relatively high vaccine availability and uptake, willingness to accept booster shots and maintain mitigation behaviors in the post-acute phase of COVID-19 remain uncertain. The aim of the Canadian COVID-19 Experiences Project (CCEP) is two-fold: 1) to identify social-cognitive and neurocognitive correlates of vaccine hesitancy and mitigation behaviors, and 2) to identify optimal communication strategies to promote vaccination and mitigation behaviors into the post-acute phase of the pandemic. Methods and analyses: The CCEP is comprised of two components: a conventional population survey (Study 1) and a functionally interconnected laboratory study (Study 2). Study 1 will involve 3 waves of data collection. Wave 1, completed between 28 September and 21 October, 2021, recruited 1,958 vaccine-hesitant (49.8%) and fully vaccinated (50.2%) adults using quota sampling to ensure maximum statistical power. Measures included a variety of social cognitive (e.g., beliefs, intentions) and neurocognitive (e.g., delay discounting) measures, followed by an opportunity to view and rate a set of professionally produced COVID-19 public service announcement (PSA) videos for perceived efficacy. Study 2 employs the same survey items and PSAs but coupled with lab-based eye tracking and functional brain imaging to directly quantify neural indicators of attention capture and self-reflection in a smaller community sample. In the final phase of the project, subjective impressions and neural indicators of PSA efficacy will be compared and used to inform recommendations for construction of COVID-19 PSAs into the post-acute phase of the pandemic. Ethics and dissemination: The CCEP has received ethical review and approval by the University of Waterloo Office of Research Ethics. Findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and presentations at scientific meetings.
Although SARS-CoV-2 infects the upper respiratory tract, we know little about the amount, type, and kinetics of antibodies (Ab) generated at this site in response to intramuscular COVID-19 vaccination, and whether these Ab protect against subsequent breakthrough infections. We collected longitudinal serum and saliva samples from participants receiving two doses of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines over a 6-month period and measured the relative level of anti-Spike and anti-Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) Ab. We detected anti-Spike/RBD IgG and IgA and associated secretory component in the saliva of most participants receiving 1 dose of mRNA vaccine. Administration of a second dose of mRNA boosted the IgG but not the IgA response, with only 30% of participants remaining positive for IgA at this timepoint. At 6 months post- dose 2, these participants exhibited greatly diminished anti-Spike/RBD IgG and IgA levels concomitant with a reduction in neutralizing activity in the saliva, although the level of secretory component associated anti-Spike was less susceptible to decay. Examining two prospective cohorts of subjects that were monitored for infections post-vaccination, we found that participants who were subsequently infected with SARS-CoV-2 had lower levels of vaccine-induced serum anti-Spike/RBD IgA at 2-4 weeks post-dose 2 compared to participants who did not experience an infection, whereas IgG levels were comparable between groups. These data emphasize the importance of developing COVID-19 vaccines that elicit a durable IgA response.
Objectives: To estimate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cardiovascular disease (CVD) and CVD management using routinely collected medication data as a proxy. Design: Descriptive and interrupted time series analysis using anonymised individual-level population-scale data for 1.32 billion records of dispensed CVD medications across 15.8 million individuals in England, Scotland and Wales. Setting: Community dispensed CVD medications with 100% coverage from England, Scotland and Wales, plus primary care prescribed CVD medications from England (including 98% English general practices). Participants: 15.8 million individuals aged 18+ years alive on 1st April 2018 dispensed at least one CVD medicine in a year from England, Scotland and Wales. Main outcome measures: Monthly counts, percent annual change (1st April 2018 to 31st July 2021) and annual rates (1st March 2018 to 28th February 2021) of medicines dispensed by CVD/ CVD risk factor; prevalent and incident use. Results: Year-on-year change in dispensed CVD medicines by month were observed, with notable uplifts ahead of the first (11.8% higher in March 2020) but not subsequent national lockdowns. Using hypertension as one example of the indirect impact of the pandemic, we observed 491,203 fewer individuals initiated antihypertensive treatment across England, Scotland and Wales during the period March 2020 to end May 2021 than would have been expected compared to 2019. We estimated that this missed antihypertension treatment could result in 13,659 additional CVD events should individuals remain untreated, including 2,281 additional myocardial infarctions (MIs) and 3,474 additional strokes. Incident use of lipid-lowering medicines decreased by an average 14,793 per month in early 2021 compared with the equivalent months prior to the pandemic in 2019. In contrast, the use of incident medicines to treat type-2 diabetes (T2DM) increased by approximately 1,642 patients per month. Conclusions: Management of key CVD risk factors as proxied by incident use of CVD medicines has not returned to pre-pandemic levels in the UK. Novel methods to identify and treat individuals who have missed treatment are urgently required to avoid large numbers of additional future CVD events, further adding indirect cost of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Objective: This study examined the relationship between job accommodations for workers with poor health and work functioning impairment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: An internet survey was conducted in December 2020. We included 24,429 subjects for analysis. One question was used to determine whether subjects needed job accommodations from their company to continue working in their current health condition. The odds ratios (ORs) of the necessity of job accommodations for sick workers associated with work functioning impairment were estimated using multilevel logistic regression analysis. Results: The OR of work functioning impairment among sick workers not receiving job accommodations was 5.75 (95% confidence interval (CI) 5.34-6.20, p<0.001) and those receiving job accommodations was 1.88 (95% CI 1.69-2.08, p<0.001) compared to healthy workers. Conclusions: This study suggests that providing job accommodations to workers with poor health may improve their work functioning impairment.
Genome sequencing is pivotal to SARS-CoV-2 surveillance, elucidating the emergence and global dissemination of acquired genetic mutations. Amplicon sequencing has proven very effective for sequencing SARS-CoV-2, but prevalent mutations disrupting primer binding sites have necessitated the revision of sequencing protocols in order to maintain performance for emerging virus lineages. We compared the performance of Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) Midnight and ARTIC tiling amplicon protocols using 196 Delta lineage SARS-CoV-2 clinical specimens, and 71 mostly Omicron lineage samples with S gene target failure (SGTF), reflecting circulating lineages in the United Kingdom during December 2021. 96-plexed nanopore sequencing was used. For Delta lineage samples, ARTIC v4 recovered the greatest proportion of >=90% complete genomes (81.1%; 159/193), followed by Midnight (71.5%; 138/193) and ARTIC v3 (34.1%; 14/41). Midnight protocol however yielded higher average genome recovery (mean 98.8%) than ARTIC v4 (98.1%) and ARTIC v3 (75.4%), resulting in less ambiguous final consensus assemblies overall. Explaining these observations were ARTIC v49s superior genome recovery in low viral titre/high cycle threshold (Ct) samples and inferior performance in high titre/low Ct samples, where Midnight excelled. We evaluated Omicron sequencing performance using a revised Midnight primer mix alongside the latest ARTIC v4.1 primers, head-to-head with the existing commercially available Midnight and ARTIC v4 protocols. The revised protocols both improved considerably the recovery of Omicron genomes and exhibited similar overall performance to one another. Revised Midnight protocol recovered >=90% complete genomes for 85.9% (61/71) of Omicron samples vs. 88.7% (63/71) for ARTIC v4.1. Approximate cost per sample for Midnight (12GBP) is lower than ARTIC (16GBP) while hands-on time is considerably lower for Midnight (~7 hours) than ARTIC protocols (~9.5 hours).
Background: COVID-19 reinfected patients suffer from diverse health consequences. Information on the severity of COVID-19 reinfection is scarce. The current study aimed to determine the proportion of COVID-19 reinfection and risk factors associated with its severity. Methods: This cross-sectional study targeted all COVID-19 patients reported in May 2021 at the Health Information Unit (HIU) of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) of Bangladesh. We identified 473 (1.14%) reinfected patients out of 41408 diagnosed cases by reviewing their medical records. Considering the selection criteria and informed consent, we enrolled 404 reinfected patients. Data were collected through telephone interviews and reviewing medical records using a semi-structured questionnaire and a checklist. Results: The majority of the reinfected patients were urban residents (98.0%). Around 13.0% of reinfected patients had <90% oxygen saturation, and 64.0% had an interval of 3-6 months between two attacks. The severity of reinfection included asymptomatic (12.9%), mild (8.9%), moderate (66.3%), and severe (11.9%) forms of infection. An interval of 3-6 months between two attacks had less chance of having mild (AOR=0.031, ρ=0.000), moderate (AOR=0.132, ρ=0.017), and severe (AOR=0.059, ρ=0.002) infections. Patients who maintained physical distance had less chance of moderate-intensity reinfection (AOR=0.137, ρ=0.013), while the vaccinated patients had a higher chance of moderate (AOR=16.127, ρ=0.001) and severe (AOR=3.894, ρ=0.047) intensity reinfection. Conclusion: To avert COVID-19 reinfection and its severity, patients should be vigilant about preventive practices even after recovery. The study suggests vibrant interventions aligned with exposure, physical distancing, vaccination, and comorbidities for mitigating reinfection.
Human COVID-19 Immunoglobulin (COVID-HIG) Therapy for COVID-19 Patients - Condition: COVID-19
Interventions: Biological: Human COVID-19 immunoglobulin (pH4) for intravenous injection; Drug: Placebo
Sponsors: Sinopharm Wuhan Plasma-derived Biotherapies Co., Ltd.; China National Biotec Group Company Limited; Beijing Tiantan Biological Products Co., Ltd.
Not yet recruiting
A Safety, Tolerability, and Efficacy Study of IBI314 in Mild to Moderate Patients With COVID-19 - Condition: COVID-19
Interventions: Biological: IBI314(low dose); Biological: IBI314(high dose); Biological: IBI314(medium dose); Other: Placebo
Sponsor:
Innovent Biologics (Suzhou) Co. Ltd.
Not yet recruiting
A Study Evaluating Tocilizumab in Pediatric Patients Hospitalized With COVID-19 - Condition: COVID-19
Intervention: Drug: Tocilizumab
Sponsor: Hoffmann- La Roche
Not yet recruiting
Safety, Tolerability, and Treatment Effect of Belnacasan in Patients With COVID-19 - Condition: COVID-19
Interventions: Drug: Belnacasan; Drug: Placebo
Sponsor:
MedStar Health
Recruiting
Safety and Immunogenicity Study of Booster Vaccination in Different Doses of COVID-19 Vaccine (Vero Cell),Inactivated for Prevention of COVID-19 - Condition: COVID-19
Interventions: Biological: High-dosage of COVID-19 vaccine (Vero cell), Inactivated; Biological: Medium-dose COVID-19 Vaccine(Vero Cell),Inactivated
Sponsor:
Sinovac Research and Development Co., Ltd.
Active, not recruiting
Safety and Immunogenicity Study of Booster Vaccination With COVID-19 Vaccine (Vero Cell),Inactivated From Different Manufactures for Prevention of COVID-19 - Condition: COVID-19
Interventions: Biological: Experimental vaccine 1; Biological: Experimental vaccine 2; Biological: Experimental vaccine 3
Sponsor:
Sinovac Research and Development Co., Ltd.
Not yet recruiting
Quality of Life and Lung Function on Post Covid-19 Patient - Condition: COVID-19
Intervention: Other: breathing exercise, Aerobic exercises
Sponsor: Qassim University
Recruiting
Severity of COVID-19 and Vitamin D Supplementation - Condition: COVID-19 Respiratory Infection
Intervention: Drug: vitamin D
Sponsor: Federal State Budgetary Institution, V. A. Almazov Federal North-West Medical Research Centre, of the Ministry of Health
Active, not recruiting
Nebulized Fentanyl for Respiratory Symptoms in Patients With COVID-19 - Condition: COVID-19 Pneumonia
Intervention: Drug: Nebulized Fentanyl
Sponsor:
Hamad Medical Corporation
Not yet recruiting
A Study to Evaluate the Ability of UB-612 COVID-19 Vaccine to Boost Immunity of Heterologous COVID-19 Vaccines. - Condition: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2
Intervention: Biological: UB-612
Sponsor:
United Biomedical Inc., Asia
Not yet recruiting
Phase III Study of Novaferon in Non-hospitalized Adult Patients With Mild COVID-19 - Condition: Covid19
Interventions: Biological: Novaferon; Biological: Placebo
Sponsors: Genova Inc.; Tokyo Shinagawa Hospital
Recruiting
CONFIDENT: Supporting Long-term Care Workers During COVID-19 - Conditions: COVID-19 Pandemic; COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence
Interventions:
Behavioral: Dialogue-Based Webinar; Behavioral: Social Media Website; Other: Enhanced Usual Practice
Sponsors: Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center; National Association of Health Care Assistants; Institute for Healthcare Improvement; East Carolina University
Not yet recruiting
Safety & Immunogenicity of Booster SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine (Vero Cell) - Condition: COVID-19
Intervention: Biological: SARS-COV-2 Vaccine (Vero Cell-Sinopharm) Inactivated
Sponsor: PT. Kimia Farma (Persero) Tbk
Not yet recruiting
Brequinar Combined With Dipyridamole in Patients With Mild to Moderate SARS-CoV-2 Infection. - Condition: COVID-19
Interventions: Drug: Brequinar Sodium; Drug: Dipyridamole 75 MG; Drug: Placebo
Sponsor: Clear Creek Bio, Inc.
Not yet recruiting
Use of Low-frequency Magnetic Fields in the Hybrid Treatment of COVID-19 Patients - Conditions: COVID-19; COVID-19 Respiratory Infection; COVID-19 Pneumonia
Intervention:
Other: magnetostimulation
Sponsor: Medical University of Lodz
Active, not recruiting
Compound screen identifies the small molecule Q34 as an inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 infection - The COVID-19 outbreak poses a serious threat to global public health. Effective countermeasures and approved therapeutics are desperately needed. In this study, we screened a small molecule library containing the NCI-DTP compounds to identify molecules that can prevent SARS-CoV-2 cellular entry. By applying a luciferase assay-based screening using a pseudotyped SARS-CoV-2 virus-mediated cell entry assay, we identified a small molecule compound Q34 that can efficiently block cellular entry of the…
Susceptibility to COVID-19 Scams: The Roles of Age, Individual Difference Measures, and Scam-Related Perceptions - As the COVID-19 pandemic was unfolding, a surge in scams was registered across the globe. While COVID-19 poses higher health risks for older adults, it is unknown whether older adults are also facing higher financial risks as a result of COVID-19 scams. Here, we examined age differences in vulnerability to COVID-19 scams and individual difference measures (such as impulsivity, ad skepticism, and past experiences with fraud) that might help explain them. A lifespan sample (M = 48.03, SD = 18.56)…
Synthesis and investigation of anti-COVID19 ability of ferrocene Schiff base derivatives by quantum chemical and molecular docking - The recent outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has rampaged the world with more than 236 million confirmed cases and over 4.8 million deaths across the world reported by the world health organization (WHO) till Oct 5, 2021. Due to the advent of different variants of coronavirus, there is an urgent need to identify effective drugs and vaccines to combat rapidly spreading virus varieties across the globe. Ferrocene derivatives have attained immense interest as anticancer, antifungal,…
Cell-surface glycans act as attachment factors for porcine hemagglutinating encephalomyelitis virus - Porcine hemagglutinating encephalomyelitis virus (PHEV) is a neurotropic coronavirus and highly pathogenic in veterinary clinic. Spike (S) protein of PHEV interplays with host components to cross the plasma membrane of target cells, but characterization of its functional receptors is limited. Here, we discovered that cell-surface glycans, i.e., sialic acid (SA) and heparan sulfate (HS), act as critical interacting factors of PHEV, involving in viral attachment. As shown in glycans depletion…
Structural basis and mode of action for two broadly neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 emerging variants of concern - Emerging variants of concern for the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can transmit more efficiently and partially evade protective immune responses, thus necessitating continued refinement of antibody therapies and immunogen design. Here, we elucidate the structural basis and mode of action for two potent SARS-CoV-2 spike (S)-neutralizing monoclonal antibodies, CV3-1 and CV3-25, which remain effective against emerging variants of concern in vitro and in vivo. CV3-1…
In silico bioprospecting of antiviral compounds from marine fungi and mushroom for rapid development of nutraceuticals against SARS-CoV-2 - Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) affects human respiratory function that causes COVID-19 disease. COVID-19 has spread rapidly all over the world and became a pandemic within no time. Therefore, it is the need of hour to screen potential lead candidates from natural resources like edible mushrooms and marine fungi. These natural resources are very less explored till now and known to be the source for many medicinal compounds with several health benefits. These…
The effect of colchicine on mortality outcome and duration of hospital stay in patients with COVID-19: A meta- analysis of randomized trials - BACKGROUND: Overactivation of the NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome can lead to severe illness in patients with coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). The NLRP3 inhibitor, colchicine, therefore, appears to be promising for the treatment of COVID-19.
Review of studies on SARS-CoV-2 infection inhibitors - CONCLUSIONS: The ongoing research is focused on the development of new antiviral agents, as well as the use of the existing drugs on the market. The results of clinical trials are promising and give hope for the development of effective therapies against SARS-CoV-2 and emerging variants of this virus.
S-adenosylmethionine-dependent methyltransferase inhibitor DZNep blocks transcription and translation of SARS-CoV-2 genome with a low tendency to select for drug-resistant viral variants - We report the in vitro antiviral activity of DZNep (3-Deazaneplanocin A; an inhibitor of S-adenosylmethionine-dependent methyltransferase) against SARS-CoV-2, besides demonstrating its protective efficacy against lethal infection of infectious bronchitis virus (IBV, a member of the Coronaviridae family). DZNep treatment resulted in reduced synthesis of SARS-CoV-2 RNA and proteins without affecting other steps of viral life cycle. We demonstrated that deposition of N6-methyl adenosine (m6A) in…
Synthesis and Antiviral Activities of Neoechinulin B and Its Derivatives - We have previously reported that neoechinulin B (1a), a prenylated indole diketopiperazine alkaloid, shows antiviral activities against hepatitis C virus (HCV) via the inactivation of the liver X receptors (LXRs) and the resultant disruption of double-membrane vesicles. In this study, a two-step synthesis of the diketopiperazine scaffold of 1a was achieved by the base-induced coupling of 1,4-diacetyl-3-{[(tert-butyldimethylsilyl)oxy]methyl}piperazine-2,5-dione with aldehydes, followed by the…
Membrane-Based In-Gel Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (mgLAMP) System for SARS-CoV-2 Quantification in Environmental Waters - Since the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to become endemic, quantification of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) in ambient waters is critical for environmental surveillance and for early detection of outbreaks. Herein, we report the development of a membrane-based in-gel loop-mediated isothermal amplification (mgLAMP) system that is designed for the rapid point-of-use quantification of SARS-CoV-2 particles in environmental waters. The mgLAMP system integrates the viral…
The polymorphism L412F in TLR3 inhibits autophagy and is a marker of severe COVID-19 in males - The polymorphism L412F in TLR3 has been associated with several infectious diseases. However, the mechanism underlying this association is still unexplored. Here, we show that the L412F polymorphism in TLR3 is a marker of severity in COVID-19. This association increases in the sub-cohort of males. Impaired macroautophagy/autophagy and reduced TNF/TNFα production was demonstrated in HEK293 cells transfected with TLR3^(L412F)-encoding plasmid and stimulated with specific agonist poly(I:C). A…
Human mesenchymal stem cells treatment for severe COVID-19: 1-year follow-up results of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial - BACKGROUND: The long-term consequences of human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cell (UC-MSC) treatment for COVID-19 patients are yet to be reported. This study assessed the 1-year outcomes in patients with severe COVID-19, who were recruited in our previous UC-MSC clinical trial.
Colchicine use in patients with COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis - CONCLUSION: Colchicine may reduce the risk of mortality in individuals with COVID-19. Further prospective investigation may further determine the efficacy of colchicine as treatment in COVID-19 patients in various care settings of the disease, including post-hospitalization and long-term care.
A genome-wide CRISPR screen identifies interactors of the autophagy pathway as conserved coronavirus targets - Over the past 20 years, 3 highly pathogenic human coronaviruses (HCoVs) have emerged-Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV), Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV), and, most recently, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-demonstrating that coronaviruses (CoVs) pose a serious threat to human health and highlighting the importance of developing effective therapies against them. Similar to other viruses, CoVs are dependent on host factors…
Hung Thanh Phan COVID-19 NEW SOLUTION - - link
METHODS OF TREATING SARS-COV-2 INFECTION - - link
REAL-TIME REST BREAK MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR WORKPLACE - The present invention relates to a real-time rest break management system for workplace that comprises of a work desk, wherein first portion is incorporated with a biometric unit 4 for authenticating first user, and a second portion with a telescopic panel 2 associated with a weight sensor 6 and timer unit 7 calculating weight of head/hand manifesting user presence and their resting time period is mounted with an inflated cushion 5, an interactive primary display unit 1 attached over desk enables user to set first/second threshold time for sleeping/taking break, further linked with a tracking interface keeping track of activities and a vibrating unit crafted inside the cushion 5 which is linked to a secondary display unit 8 of second user, giving them access to actuate vibrating unit generating impulses to wake first user when threshold time period is exceeded by the first user. - link
P2P 네트워크를 이용한 내장된 화상회의 시스템 - 본 발명은 P2P 네트워크를 이용한 내장된 화상회의 시스템에 관한 것으로, 상태표시부(1), 영상송출부(2), 제어부(3), 광고부(4), 입력부(5)를 포함한다. - link
小分子化合物肌醇六磷酸酯钠水合物在制备抗SARS-CoV-2药物中的应用 - 本发明公开了小分子化合物肌醇六磷酸酯钠水合物在制备抗严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2(SARS‑CoV‑2)药物中的应用，所述抗SARS‑CoV‑2药物是以肌醇六磷酸酯钠水合物为唯一的活性成份，或包含肌醇六磷酸酯钠水合物的药物组合物，所述抗SARS‑CoV‑2药物是指预防或治疗SARS‑CoV‑2感染的药物。本发明利用SARS‑CoV‑2的易感细胞系，包括非洲绿猴肾细胞Vero
E6以及人肺腺癌细胞Calu‑3，检测肌醇六磷酸酯钠水合物的抗SARS‑CoV‑2活性。实验结果显示，肌醇六磷酸酯钠水合物能有效抑制SARS‑CoV‑2对上述易感细胞的感染，且细胞毒性较小，有希望作为有效抗SARS‑CoV‑2感染的药物，具有应用前景。 - link
A DOORBELL SYSTEM FOR MONITORING AND RECORDING A PHYSIOLOGICAL DATA OF A PERSON - AbstractTitle: A doorbell system for monitoring and recording a physiological data of a person The present invention provides a doorbell system 500 for monitoring and recording a physiological data of a person. The doorbell system 500 having a transmitter module 100 and a receiving module 200. The transmitter module 100 is having a TOF sensor module 110, an ultrasound detector 120, and an infrared detector 130. Further, a speech recognition system 150, a facial recognition system 160, and a temperature detector 190 are provided for recognizing speech, face, and temperature of the person by comparing pre-stored data. A controlling module 180 is set with a predefined commands for communicating with the transmitter module 100 and receiving module 200. The collected facial and speech data is compared and matched with the pre-stored data then the temperature detector 190 triggers and the door opens when the captured body temperature of the person is matched within the predefined range of temperature.Figure 1 - link
Schnelltestsystem, aufweisend: eine Testkassette (11), die ein Testfeld (111) und einen einem bestimmten Benutzer entsprechenden Identifikationsstrichcode (113) aufweist, wobei das Testfeld (111) eine Probe (115) empfängt, um eine Testreaktion (R) zu bewirken, wodurch sich ein der Testreaktion (R) entsprechendes Muster (G) ergibt; und ein tragbares elektronisches Gerät (13), das eine Bildaufnahmeeinheit (131) aufweist, wobei die Bildaufnahmeeinheit (131) das Muster
A study of contemporary trends in investing patterns, household savings, and economic investment. - Because household savings and household investments are intertwined and interdependent, they are discussed briefly in this paper. Household savings account for more than half of a country’s capital formation, which fluctuates due to a variety of economic factors such as inflation and interest rates. Households should gradually shift their savings and investments from physical assets to financial assets to avoid a sudden change in wealth. They should also save and invest using a variety of platforms. Trends in investing and saving will be easier to track and measure this way. This year’s domestic saving rate in India is 2.3 percent lower than last year’s and 1.2 percent lower than the year before. Since 2011, general domestic savings have been steadily declining, with the trend continuing into the following year. According to official data, the GDP in 2020 shrank by 23.9%, the least in previous years and the least since the Covid-19 pandemic in previous years. As a result, the information presented in this paper is drawn from and evaluated from other sources - link
靶向刺激体液免疫和细胞免疫的新冠病毒mRNA疫苗 - 本发明公开了一种靶向刺激体液免疫和细胞免疫的新冠病毒mRNA疫苗。本申请的第一方面提供一种分离的DNA分子组合，该DNA分子组合包括第一DNA分子和第二DNA分子和第三DNA分子中的至少一种。通过第一DNA分子以及第二DNA分子和/或第三DNA分子的组合，利用第一DNA分子最终合成的mRNA诱导高滴度的交叉中和抗体，利用第二DNA分子和/或第三DNA分子最终合成的mRNA诱导新冠病毒特异性的细胞毒性T淋巴细胞，从而高效地同时激活相对独立的体液免疫应答和细胞免疫应答，应对新冠病毒在流行传播过程中产生的突变毒株所引发的突破性感染。 - link
跨膜丝氨酸蛋白酶2抑制剂在制备治疗和/或预防冠状病毒感染药物中的用途 - 本发明公开了跨膜丝氨酸蛋白酶2抑制剂在制备治疗和/或预防冠状病毒感染药物中的用途。本发明通过亲和垂钓及活性导向分离获得3种化合物，证实该类化合物可以直接地与跨膜丝氨酸蛋白酶2结合，KD<13μM，且能够显著抑制跨膜丝氨酸蛋白酶2的催化活性。在细胞水平上可以有效的抑制新型冠状病毒SARS‑CoV‑2假病毒入侵，表明该类化合物对于制备治疗和/或预防病毒感染药物具有非常积极的作用。化合物1 化合物2 化合物3。 - link