Covid-19 Sentry

Contents

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

From Preprints

• Airborne Transmission of Virus-Laden Aerosols inside a Music Classroom: Effects of Portable Purifiers and Aerosol Injection Rates -

  The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has shifted attention to the airborne transmission of exhaled droplet nuclei within indoor environments. The spread of aerosols through singing and musical instruments in music performances has necessitated precautionary methods such as masks and portable purifiers. This study investigates the effects of placing portable air purifiers at different locations inside a classroom, as well as the effects of different aerosol injection rates (e.g., with and without masks, different musical instruments and different injection modes). Aerosol deposition, airborne concentration and removal are analyzed in this study. It was found that using purifiers could help in achieving ventilation rates close to the prescribed values by the World Health Organization (WHO), while also achieving aerosol removal times within the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended guidelines. This could help in deciding break periods between classroom sessions, which was around 25 minutes through this study. Moreover, proper placement of purifiers could offer significant advantages in reducing airborne aerosol numbers (offering orders of magnitude higher aerosol removal when compared to nearly zero removal when having no purifiers), and improper placement of the purifiers could worsen the situation. The study suggests the purifier to be placed close to the injector to yield a benefit, and away from the people to be protected. The injection rate was found to have an almost linear correlation with the average airborne aerosol suspension rate and deposition rate, which could be used to predict the trends for scenarios with other injection rates.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Airborne Transmission of Virus-Laden Aerosols inside a Music Classroom: Effects of Portable Purifiers and Aerosol Injection Rates
• Using Predictive Analytics for Public Policy: The Case for Lost Work due to the COVID-19 -
  In this brief research article, I demonstrate how predictive analytics or machine learning can be used to predict outcomes that are of interest in public policy. I developed a predictive model that determined who were not able to work during the past four weeks because the COVID-19 pandemic led their employer to close or lose business. I used the Current Population Survey (CPS) collected from May to November 2020 (N=352,278). Predictive models considered were logistic regression and ensemble-based methods (bagging of regression trees, random forests, and boosted regression trees). Predictors included (1) individual-, (2) family-, (3) and community or societal- level factors. To validate the models, I used the random training test splits with equal allocation of samples for the training and testing data. The random forest with the full set of predictors and number of splits set to the square root of the number of predictors yielded the lowest testing error rate. Predictive analytics that seek to forecast the inability to work due to the pandemic can be used for automated means-testing to determine who gets aid like unemployment benefits or food stamps.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Using Predictive Analytics for Public Policy: The Case for Lost Work due to the COVID-19
• Rapid inactivation of SARS-CoV-2 on copper touch surfaces determined using a cell culture infectivity assay -
  COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2, was first reported in China in 2019 and has transmitted rapidly around the world, currently responsible for 83 million reported cases and over 1.8 million deaths. The mode of transmission is believed principally to be airborne exposure to respiratory droplets from symptomatic and asymptomatic patients but there is also a risk of the droplets contaminating fomites such as touch surfaces including door handles, stair rails etc, leading to hand pick up and transfer to eyes, nose and mouth. We have previously shown that human coronavirus 229E survives for more than 5 days on inanimate surfaces and another laboratory reproduced this for SARS-CoV-2 this year. However, we showed rapid inactivation of Hu-CoV-229E within 10 minutes on different copper surfaces while the other laboratory indicated this took 4 hours for SARS-CoV-2. So why the difference? We have repeated our work with SARS-CoV-2 and can confirm that this coronavirus can be inactivated on copper surfaces in as little as 1 minute. We discuss why the 4 hour result may be technically flawed.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Rapid inactivation of SARS-CoV-2 on copper touch surfaces determined using a cell culture infectivity assay
• Comprehensive analysis of the host-virus interactome of SARS-CoV-2 -
  Host-virus protein-protein interaction is the key component of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) lifecycle. We conducted a comprehensive interactome study between the virus and host cells using tandem affinity purification and proximity labeling strategies and identified 437 human proteins as the high-confidence interacting proteins. Functional characterization and further validation of these interactions elucidated how distinct SARS-CoV-2 viral proteins participate in its lifecycle, and discovered potential drug targets to the treatment of COVID-19. The interactomes of two key SARS-CoV-2 encoded viral proteins, NSP1 and N protein, were compared with the interactomes of their counterparts in other human coronaviruses. These comparisons not only revealed common host pathways these viruses manipulate for their survival, but also showed divergent protein-protein interactions that may explain differences in disease pathology. This comprehensive interactome of coronavirus disease-2019 provides valuable resources for understanding and treating this disease.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Comprehensive analysis of the host-virus interactome of SARS-CoV-2
• Sequencing of Sars-CoV-2 genome using different Nanopore chemistries -
  Nanopore sequencing has emerged as a rapid and cost-efficient tool for diagnostic and epidemiological surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study compared results from sequencing the SARS-CoV-2 genome using R9 vs R10 flow cells and Rapid Barcoding Kit (RBK) vs Ligation Sequencing Kit (LSK). The R9 chemistry provided a lower error rate (3.5%) than R10 chemistry (7%). The SARS-CoV-2 genome includes few homopolymeric regions. Longest homopolymers were composed of 7 (TTTTTTT) and 6 (AAAAAA) nucleotides. The R10 chemistry resulted in a lower rate of deletions in timine and adenine homopolymeric regions than R9, at expenses of a larger rate (~10%) of mismatches in these regions. The LSK had a larger yield than RBK, and provided longer reads than RBK. It also resulted in a larger percentage of aligned reads (99% vs 93%) and also in a complete consensus genome. The results from this study suggest that the LSK used on a R9 flow cell could maximize the yield and accuracy of the consensus sequence when used in epidemiological surveillance of SARS-CoV-2.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Sequencing of Sars-CoV-2 genome using different Nanopore chemistries
• The functions of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing and infection-enhancing antibodies in vitro and in mice and nonhuman primates -
  SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) protect against COVID-19, making them a focus of vaccine design. A safety concern regarding SARS-CoV-2 antibodies is whether they mediate disease enhancement. Here, we isolated potent NAbs against the receptor-binding domain (RBD) and the N-terminal domain (NTD) of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein from individuals with acute or convalescent SARS-CoV-2 or a history of SARS-CoV-1 infection. Cryo-electron microscopy of RBD and NTD antibodies demonstrated function-specific modes of antibody binding. Select RBD NAbs also demonstrated Fc receptor-{gamma} (Fc{gamma}R)-mediated enhancement of virus infection in vitro, while five non-neutralizing NTD antibodies mediated Fc{gamma}R-independent in vitro infection enhancement. However, both in vitro neutralizing and infection-enhancing RBD or infection-enhancing NTD antibodies protected from SARS-CoV-2 challenge in non-human primates and mice. One of 30 monkeys infused with enhancing antibodies had lung pathology and bronchoalveolar lavage cytokine evidence suggestive of enhanced disease. Thus, these in vitro assessments of enhanced antibody-mediated infection do not necessarily indicate biologically relevant in vivo infection enhancement.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: The functions of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing and infection-enhancing antibodies in vitro and in mice and nonhuman primates
• Stress, anxiety, depression and burnout in frontline health care workers during COVID-19 pandemic: a brief systematic review and new data from Russia -
  During the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare workers (HCWs) have been subject to increased workload while also exposed to many psychosocial stressors. In a systematic review we analyze the impact that the pandemic has had on HCWs mental state and associated risk factors. Most studies reported high levels of depression and anxiety among HCWs worldwide, however, due to a wide range of assessment tools, cut-off scores, and number of frontline participants in the studies, results were difficult to compare. Our study is based on two online surveys of 2195 HCWs from different regions of Russia during spring and autumn epidemic outbreaks revealed the rates of anxiety, stress, depression, emotional exhaustion and depersonalization and perceived stress as 32.3%, 31.1%, 45.5%, 74.2%, 37.7% ,67.8%, respectively. Moreover, 2.4% of HCWs reported suicidal thoughts. The most common risk factors include: female gender, nurse as an occupation, younger age, working for over 6 months, chronic diseases, smoking, high working demands, lack of personal protective equipment, low salary, lack of social support, isolation from families, the fear of relatives getting infected. These results demonstrate the need for urgent supportive programs for HCWs fighting COVID-19 that fall into higher risk factors groups.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Stress, anxiety, depression and burnout in frontline health care workers during COVID-19 pandemic: a brief systematic review and new data from Russia
• Physical distancing and the perception of interpersonal distance in the COVID-19 crisis -
  In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been mandated to keep enlarged distances from others. We interviewed 136 German subjects over five weeks from the end of March to the end of April 2020 during the first wave of infections about their preferred interpersonal distance (IPD) before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to the pandemic, subjects adapted to distance requirements and preferred a larger IPD. This enlarged IPD was judged to persist after the crisis partially. People anticipated keeping more IPD to others even if there was no longer any risk of a SARS-CoV-2 infection. We also sampled two follow-up measurements, one in August, after the first wave had been flattened, and one in October 2020, at the beginning of the second wave. We discuss our findings in light of proxemic theory and an indicator for socio-cultural adaptation beyond the course of the pandemic.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Physical distancing and the perception of interpersonal distance in the COVID-19 crisis
• Mechanisms of Parental Stress During and After the COVID-19 Lockdown: A two-wave longitudinal study -
  Background: In the unpredictable times of the ongoing global coronavirus disease (COVID-19), parents worldwide are affected by stressors and strains that follow in the wake of the government-initiated distancing protocols. Objective: In a two‐wave longitudinal survey, we examined levels of parental perceived stress and symptoms of anxiety and depression among a sample of parents at two time points; in the midst of the strictest government-initiated physical distancing protocols following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic (T1, N = 2868) and three months after the protocols discontinued (T2, n = 1489). Further, we investigated the levels of parental stress, anxiety, and depression relative to perceived relationship quality and anger aimed at child(ren) at the two time points, including subgroups based on age, sex, cultural background, civil status, education level, number of children in household, employment status, and pre-existing psychiatric diagnosis. Methods and findings: Parents were asked to fill out a set of validated questionnaires on the two measurement occasions. As expected, the findings indicate that the high levels of parental stress significantly decreased from T1 to T2, indicating that the cumulative stressors that parent’s experiences during distancing protocols declined as a function of the phaseout of the protocols. The decrease of perceived parental stress at the two time points, was accompanied by a significant decrease in symptoms of both depression and anxiety among the participating parents. Symptoms meeting the clinical cut-off for depression (23.0%) and generalized anxiety disorder (23.3%) were reported among participating parents at T1, compared to 16.8% and 13.8% respectively at T2. Reduction in depression and angry at child(ren) from T1 to T2 were further associated with a reduction in perceived parental stress. In addition, relationship quality and angry at child(ren) at T1 predicted change in parental stress. Conclusions: The findings underline some of the negative psychological impact of physical distancing protocols on parent’s health and well-being. Parents who are facing physical distancing and remaining at home with their children may be particularly vulnerable to parental stress, anxiety and depression. Uncovering the nature of how these constructs are associated to parents and families facing social crisis, such as the ongoing pandemic, can contribute to design relevant interventions to reduce parental stress and strengthen parental coping and resilience. Keywords: COVID-19 lockdown, parental stress, anxiety, depression, social distancing.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Mechanisms of Parental Stress During and After the COVID-19 Lockdown: A two-wave longitudinal study
• Pregnancy during the pandemic: The impact of COVID-19-related stress on risk for prenatal depression -
  Pregnant women may be particularly sensitive to negative events (i.e., adversity) related to the COVID-19 pandemic and affective responses to these events (i.e., stress). We examined COVID-19-related stress and adversity in a sample of 725 pregnant women residing in the San Francisco Bay Area in March-May 2020, 343 of whom provided addresses in California that were geocoded and matched by census tract to measures of community-level risk factors. Women who were pregnant during the pandemic had substantially elevated depressive symptoms compared to matched women who were pregnant prior to the pandemic. Several individual- and community-level risk and protective factors were associated with women’s scores on two latent factors of COVID-19-related stress and adversity. Highlighting the role of subjective responses to the pandemic in vulnerability to prenatal depression and factors that influence susceptibility to COVID-19-related stress, these findings inform understanding of the psychosocial sequelae of disease outbreaks among pregnant women.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Pregnancy during the pandemic: The impact of COVID-19-related stress on risk for prenatal depression
• CoVidAffect, real-time monitoring of mood variations following the COVID-19 outbreak in Spain -
  The COVID-19 outbreak and the ensuing confinement measures are expected to bear a significant psychological impact on the affected populations. Here, we publish a dataset from CoVidAffect​, a citizen science project that was launched to provide direct, geolocalized data of changes in subjective feeling and physical arousal following the COVID-19 crisis. These publicly available data are continuously updated and visual summaries are displayed on the project website. The data can be further analyzed to identify affected geographical regions, quantify emotional responses to specific measures and policies, and to understand the effect of context variables, such as living space, socioeconomic status, and practice of physical exercise, on emotional regulation and psychological resilience. Our goal is to offer a resource that will help to anticipate the needs for psychosocial support and facilitate evidence-based policy making.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: CoVidAffect, real-time monitoring of mood variations following the COVID-19 outbreak in Spain
• Temporal Distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic: Letter Writing with Future Self can Mitigate Negative Affect -
  Novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is spreading across the world, threatening not only physical health but also psychological well-being. We reasoned that a broadened temporal perspective may attenuate current mental distress and tested a letter-writing manipulation designed to connect people to their post-COVID-19 future selves. Participants were randomly assigned to either send a letter to their future self (letter-to-future), send a letter to present self from the perspective of future self (letter-from-future), or a control condition. Participants in both letter-writing conditions showed immediate decrease in negative affect and increase in positive affect relative to the control condition. These effects were mediated by temporal distancing from the current situation. These findings suggest that taking a broader temporal perspective can be achieved by letter-writing with a future self and may offer an effective means of regulating negative affect in a stressful present time such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Temporal Distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic: Letter Writing with Future Self can Mitigate Negative Affect
• A Path from Collective Threat to Eudaimonia: Mediating Role of Awe -
  How do people react to collective threats such as natural disasters or the COVID-19 pandemic? Magnificent catastrophic events might have an impact on emotions of not only those who experienced direct harm from it but also those who feel threat without actual harm. The current study demonstrated that such threat enhances self-transcendent values that further leads to general well-being, mediated by the emotion of awe. Two surveys were conducted immediately after a severe typhoon hit Japan (Study 1) and during the early phases of the COVID-19 spread in Japan (Study 2). Predisposition to feel negative awe predicted participants’ attention to both collective threat events, which led to an affirmation of self-transcendent values and general well-being. Furthermore, when participants were asked to recall a collective threat (vs. control event), they felt more awe which led to more engaged meaning making during the event, in turn predicting their affirmation of self-transcendent values.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: A Path from Collective Threat to Eudaimonia: Mediating Role of Awe
• Disassociating conformity driven and self-interest driven dishonest behaviors -
  Dishonest behavior can be driven by both self-interest and social learning towards the external environment. However, whether and how these two processes (conformity-driven and self-interest-driven dishonesty) relate and interact to influence dishonest acts remains unknown. In the current research, we propose a computational model consisting of these two dishonesty processes. The results of the agent-based simulation modeling and experimental studies revealed that self-interest driven-dishonesty propensity determined the extent of dishonesty when one was in pursuit of self-interests, while the effect of dishonesty conformity on dishonesty was dependent on both the self and environmental dishonesty propensity. In addition, self-interest-driven dishonesty propensity was related to individuals’ preference for value allocation, while dishonesty conformity was related to the belief in environmental predictability. In cross-cultural contexts, these two processes of dishonesty exert distinct effects on participants’ tendency to violate the regulation rules of the local government and impacted the development of the local prevalence of pathogens during the COVID-19 epidemic. The results of the current in-depth research validate the processes of conformity-driven and self-interest-driven dishonesty when dishonest behaviors emerged and to uncover how these two processes influenced the progression of a real-life emergent event.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Disassociating conformity driven and self-interest driven dishonest behaviors
• Monthly prevalence of generalized anxiety disorder during the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico -
  Abstract Objective: Estimate the prevalence of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) from April to June 2020. Methods: Repeated cross-sections design based in the ENCOVID-19 – a series of monthly mobile surveys with representative samples of Mexico (N= 833- 1,674). The questionnaire includes the GAD-2 scale, and, in July, the GAD-7 scale was added; we examined its internal validity with confirmatory factor analysis and its concurrent validity with sociodemographic variables. Using GAD-7 as criterion, we analyzed the predictive validity of the GAD-2. We estimated the monthly prevalence with the GAD-2. Results: The GAD-7 and the GAD-2 are reliable and valid. The GAD-2 has a sensitivity of 0.87 and a specificity of 0.90. The monthly prevalence remains high and stable, between 30.7 and 32.6%. GAD concentrated in women, unemployed and persons with low socioeconomic status. Conclusions: GAD is a public health problem that worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Resumen Objetivo: Estimar la prevalencia de ansiedad generalizada (GAD) entre abril y junio de 2020. Material y Métodos: Diseño transversal repetido basado en la ENCOVID-19 –serie de encuestas telefónicas mensuales con muestras representativas de México (N= 833- 1,674). El cuestionario incluye la escala GAD-2 y en julio se añadió la GAD-7; se examinó su validez interna con análisis factorial confirmatorio y su validez concurrente con variables sociodemográficas. Con la GAD-7 como criterio, se calculó la validez predictiva de la GAD-2. Se estimó la prevalencia mensual con la GAD-2. Resultados: La GAD-7 y la GAD-2 son confiables y válidas. La GAD-2 tiene una sensibilidad de 0.87 y una especificidad de 0.90. La prevalencia mensual se mantuvo alta y estable, entre 30.7 y 32.6%. El GAD se concentró en mujeres, personas desocupadas y de bajo nivel socioeconómico. Conclusiones: El GAD es un problema de salud pública que se agravó con la pandemia por COVID-19.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Monthly prevalence of generalized anxiety disorder during the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico

From Clinical Trials

• Dendritic Cell Vaccine to Prevent COVID-19 - Condition:   COVID-19
  Intervention:   Biological: AV-COVID-19
  Sponsors:   Indonesia-MoH;   Aivita Biomedical, Inc.;   PT AIVITA Biomedika Indonesia;   National Institute of Health Research and Development, Ministry of Health Republic of Indonesia;   RSUP Dr. Kariadi Semarang, indonesia;   Faculty of Medicine University of Diponegoro, Indonesia
  Recruiting

• Effect of Dalcetrapib in Patients With Confirmed Mild to Moderate COVID-19 - Condition:   Covid19
  Interventions:   Drug: Dalcetrapib;   Other: Placebo
  Sponsors:   DalCor Pharmaceuticals;   The Montreal Health Innovations Coordinating Center (MHICC);   Covance
  Not yet recruiting

• suPAR-Guided Anakinra Treatment for Management of Severe Respiratory Failure by COVID-19 - Condition:   Covid19
  Interventions:   Drug: Anakinra;   Drug: Placebo
  Sponsor:   Hellenic Institute for the Study of Sepsis
  Recruiting

• Evaluating the Impact of EnteraGam In People With COVID-19 - Condition:   Covid19
  Interventions:   Dietary Supplement: Bovine Plasma-Derived Immunoglobulin Concentrate;   Other: Standard of care
  Sponsors:   Entera Health, Inc;   Lemus Buhils, SL;   Clinical Research Unit, IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute)
  Not yet recruiting

• Efficacy and Safety of Remdesivir and Tociluzumab for the Management of Severe COVID-19: A Randomized Controlled Trial - Conditions:   Covid19;   Covid-19 ARDS
  Interventions:   Drug: Remdesivir;   Drug: Tocilizumab
  Sponsors:   M Abdur Rahim Medical College and Hospital;   First affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaoting University
  Recruiting

• Inhaled Ivermectin and COVID-19 - Condition:   COVID-19
  Intervention:   Drug: Ivermectin Powder
  Sponsor:   Mansoura University
  Not yet recruiting

• Effect of Tenofovir/Emtricitabine in Patients Recently Infected With SARS-COV2 (Covid-19) Discharged Home - Condition:   Covid19
  Intervention:   Drug: tenofovir disoproxil and emtricitabine
  Sponsor:   University Hospital, Caen
  Recruiting

• Safety and Immunogenicity of Two Different Strengths of the Inactivated COVID 19 Vaccine ERUCOV-VAC - Condition:   COVID-19 Vaccine
  Interventions:   Biological: ERUCOV-VAC;   Other: Placebo Vaccine
  Sponsors:   Health Institutes of Turkey;   TC Erciyes University
  Recruiting

• AZD1222 Vaccine in Combination With rAd26-S, Recombinant Adenovirus Type 26 Component of Gam-COVID-Vac Vaccine, for the Prevention of COVID-19 - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Biological: AZD1222;   Biological: rAd26-S
  Sponsors:   AstraZeneca;   R-Pharm
  Not yet recruiting

• Anti-COVID19 AKS-452 - ACT Study - Condition:   Covid19
  Intervention:   Biological: AKS-452
  Sponsors:   University Medical Center Groningen;   Akston Biosciences Corporation
  Not yet recruiting

• Study in Adults to Determine the Safety and Immunogenicity of AZD1222, a Non-replicating ChAdOx1 Vector Vaccine, Given in Combination With rAd26-S, Recombinant Adenovirus Type 26 Component of Gam-COVID-Vac Vaccine, for the Prevention of COVID-19. - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Biological: AZD1222;   Biological: rAd26-S
  Sponsors:   R-Pharm;   AstraZeneca
  Not yet recruiting

• Surgical Face Mask Effects in Patients With COVID-19 - Condition:   Covid19
  Intervention:   Other: Sit-To-Stand test
  Sponsor:   Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc- Université Catholique de Louvain
  Not yet recruiting

• Dendritic Cell Vaccine, AV-COVID-19, to Prevent COVID-19 Infection - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Biological: AV-COVID-19;   Other: GM-CSF
  Sponsors:   Aivita Biomedical, Inc.;   PT AIVITA Biomedika Indonesia;   Indonesia Ministry of Health;   National Institute of Health Research and Development, Ministry of Health Republic of Indonesia
  Recruiting

• Efficacy and Safety of hzVSF-v13 in Patients With COVID-19 Pneumonia - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Drug: hzVSF-v13;   Drug: Placebo (Normal saline solution)
  Sponsor:   ImmuneMed, Inc.
  Recruiting

• A Clinical Study to Assess the Efficacy and Safety of Amizon® Max in the Treatment of Moderate Covid-19 - Condition:   Covid-19 Disease
  Interventions:   Drug: Enisamium Iodide;   Drug: Placebo
  Sponsor:   Joint Stock Company "Farmak"
  Recruiting

From PubMed

• Evaluation of a commercially-available surrogate virus neutralization test for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) - There remains an urgent need for assays to quantify humoral protective immunity to SARS-CoV-2 to understand the immune responses of COVID-19 patients, evaluate efficacy of vaccine candidates in clinical trials, and conduct large-scale epidemiological studies. The plaque-reduction neutralization test (PRNT) is the reference-standard for quantifying antibodies capable of neutralizing SARS-CoV-2. However, the PRNT is logistically demanding, time-consuming, and requires containment level-3...

• In silico study of the potential interactions of 4'-acetamidechalcones with protein targets in SARS-CoV-2 - The sanitary emergency generated by the pandemic COVID-19, instigates the search for scientific strategies to mitigate the damage caused by the disease to different sectors of society. The disease caused by the coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, reached 216 countries/territories, where about 20 million people were reported with the infection. Of these, more than 740,000 died. In view of the situation, strategies involving the development of new antiviral molecules are extremely important. The present work...

• Dexamethasone inhibits SARS-CoV-2 spike pseudotyped virus viropexis by binding to ACE2 - The SARS-CoV-2 outbreak, began in late 2019, has caused a worldwide pandemic and shows no signs of slowing. Glucocorticoids (GCs), including dexamethasone (DEX), have been widely used as effective anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressant drugs. In this study, seven GCs had no obvious effect on cell viability of angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) high expressed HEK293T cells when concentrations were under 10 μM. Molecular docking results revealed that DEX occupied with active binding site of...

• Inhibition of the replication of SARS-CoV-2 in human cells by the FDA-approved drug chlorpromazine - CONCLUSIONS: These preclinical findings support clinical investigation of the repurposing of CPZ, a largely used drug with mild side effects, in COVID-19 treatment.

• Unraveling the mechanism of arbidol binding and inhibition of SARS-CoV-2: Insights from atomistic simulations - The COVID-19 pandemic has spread rapidly and posed an unprecedented threat to the global economy and human health. Broad-spectrum antivirals are currently being administered to treat severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). China's prevention and treatment guidelines suggest the use of an antiinfluenza drug, arbidol, for the clinical treatment of COVID-19. Reports indicate that arbidol could neutralize SARS-CoV-2. Monotherapy with arbidol is found to be superior to...

• Antitumor/antiviral carbon quantum dots based on carrageenan and pullulan - Requirement for medication from pathogenic human viruses and cancer diseases are urgently considered, while, numerous reports were focused on investigating easily manufactured and excellently effective therapeutic reagents. Herein, CQDs were prepared with size of 2.1 nm from both of carrageenan and pullulan. CQDs nucleated from pullulan showed higher anti-proliferative effects against cancer cells, while, treatment with 100 μg/mL of CQDs colloids originated from pullulan and carrageenan...

• Human species D adenovirus hexon capsid protein mediates cell entry through a direct interaction with CD46 - Human adenovirus species D (HAdV-D) types are currently being explored as vaccine vectors for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and other severe infectious diseases. The efficacy of such vector-based vaccines depends on functional interactions with receptors on host cells. Adenoviruses of different species are assumed to enter host cells mainly by interactions between the knob domain of the protruding fiber capsid protein and cellular receptors. Using a cell-based receptor-screening assay, we...

• A novel virtual screening procedure identifies Pralatrexate as inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 RdRp and it reduces viral replication in vitro - The spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus poses serious threats to the global public health and leads to worldwide crisis. No effective drug or vaccine is readily available. The viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) is a promising therapeutic target. A hybrid drug screening procedure was proposed and applied to identify potential drug candidates targeting RdRp from 1906 approved drugs. Among the four selected market available drug candidates,...

• MicroRNAs and SARS-CoV-2 life cycle, pathogenesis, and mutations: biomarkers or therapeutic agents? - To date, proposed therapies and antiviral drugs have been failed to cure coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. However, at least two drug companies have applied for emergency use authorization with the United States Food and Drug Administration for their coronavirus vaccine candidates and several other vaccines are in various stages of development to determine safety and efficacy. Recently, some studies have shown the role of different human and severe acute respiratory syndrome...

• Fisetin 8-C-glucoside as entry inhibitor in SARS CoV-2 infection: molecular modelling study - Coronaviruses are RNA viruses that infect varied species including humans. TMPRSS2 is gateway for SARS CoV-2 entry into the host cell. It causes proteolytic activation of spike protein and discharge of the peptide into host cell. The TMPRSS2 inhibition could be one of the approaches to stop the viral entry, therefore, interaction pattern and binding energies for Fisetin and TMPRSS2 have been explored in the present study. TMPRSS2 peptide was used for homology modelling and then for further...

• A narrative review of hydrogen-oxygen mixture for medical purpose and the inhaler thereof - Recent development regarding mixture of H(2) (concentration of ~66%) with O(2) (concentration of ~34%) for medical purpose, such as treatment of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) patients, is introduced. Furthermore, the design principles of a hydrogen inhaler which generates mixture of hydrogen (~66%) with oxygen (~34%) for medical purpose are proposed. With the installation of the liquid blocking module and flame arresters, the air pathway of the hydrogen inhaler is divided by multiple...

• Developing multiplex ddPCR assays for SARS-CoV-2 detection based on probe mix and amplitude based multiplexing - Introduction: With the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, different articles have been published highlighting the superiority of droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) over the gold-standard reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) in SARS-CoV-2 detection. However, few studies have been reported on developing multiplex ddPCR assays for SARS-CoV-2 detection and their performance. This study shows steps on how to develop different ddPCR SAR-CoV-2 assays including higher order multiplex assays for SARS-CoV-2 detection...

• Tocilizumab combined with favipiravir in the treatment of COVID-19: A multicenter trial in a small sample size - CONCLUSION: Tocilizumab combined with or without favipiravir can effectively improve the pulmonary inflammation of COVID-19 patients and inhibit the deterioration of the disease.

• Therapeutic approaches against coronaviruses acute respiratory syndrome - Coronaviruses represent global health threat. In this century, they have already caused two epidemics and one serious pandemic. Although, at present, there are no approved drugs and therapies for the treatment and prevention of human coronaviruses, several agents, FDA-approved, and preclinical, have shown in vitro and/or in vivo antiviral activity. An in-depth analysis of the current situation leads to the identification of several potential drugs that could have an impact on the fight against...

• The British variant of the new coronavirus-19 (Sars-Cov-2) should not create a vaccine problem - Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a highly contagious virus that infects humans and a number of animal species causing coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19), a respiratory distress syndrome which has provoked a global pandemic and a serious health crisis in most countries across our planet. COVID-19 inflammation is mediated by IL-1, a disease that can cause symptoms such as fever, cough, lung inflammation, thrombosis, stroke, renal failure and headache, to name a few....

From Patent Search

• Covid 19 - Chewing Gum - - link

• A traditional Chinese medicine composition for COVID-19 and/or influenza and preparation method thereof - - link

• STOCHASTIC MODEL METHOD TO DETERMINE THE PROBABILITY OF TRANSMISSION OF NOVEL COVID-19 - The present invention is directed to a stochastic model method to assess the risk of spreading the disease and determine the probability of transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). - link

• The use of human serum albumin (HSA) and Cannabigerol (CBG) as active ingredients in a composition for use in the treatment of Coronavirus (Covid-19) and its symptoms - - link

• The use of human serum albumin (HSA) and Cannabigerol (CBG) as active ingredients in a composition for use in the treatment of Coronavirus (Covid-19) and its symptoms - - link

• "AYURVEDIC PROPRIETARY MEDICINE FOR TREATMENT OF SEVERWE ACUTE RESPIRATORY SYNDROME CORONAVIRUS 2 (SARS-COV-2." - AbstractAyurvedic Proprietary Medicine for treatment of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)In one of the aspect of the present invention it is provided that Polyherbal combinations called Coufex (syrup) is prepared as Ayurvedic Proprietary Medicine , Aqueous Extracts Mixing with Sugar Syrup form the following herbal aqueous extract coriandrum sativum was used for the formulation of protek.Further another Polyherbal combination protek as syrup is prepared by the combining an aqueous extract of the medicinal herbs including Emblica officinalis, Terminalia chebula, Terminalia belerica, Aegle marmelos, Zingiber officinale, Ocimum sanctum, Adatoda zeylanica, Piper lingum, Andrographis panivulata, Coriandrum sativum, Tinospora cordiofolia, cuminum cyminum,piper nigrum was used for the formulation of Coufex. - link

• 제2형 중증급성호흡기증후군 코로나바이러스 감염 질환의 예방 또는 치료용 조성물 - 본 발명은 화학식 1로 표시되는 화합물, 또는 이의 약학적으로 허용가능한 염; 및 글루카곤 수용체 작용제(glucagon receptor agonist), 위 억제 펩타이드(gastric inhibitory peptide, GIP), 글루카곤-유사 펩타이드 1(glucagon-like peptide 1, GLP-1) 및 글루카곤 수용체/위 억제 펩타이드/글루카곤-유사 펩타이드 1(Glucagon/GIP/GLP-1) 삼중 완전 작용제(glucagon receptors, gastric inhibitory peptide and glucagon-like peptide 1 (Glucagon/GIP/GLP-1) triple full agonist)로 이루어진 군으로부터 선택된 1종 이상;을 포함하는 제2형 중증급성호흡기증후군 코로나바이러스 감염 질환 예방 또는 치료용 약학적 조성물을 제공한다. - link

• Haptens, hapten conjugates, compositions thereof and method for their preparation and use - A method for performing a multiplexed diagnostic assay, such as for two or more different targets in a sample, is described. One embodiment comprised contacting the sample with two or more specific binding moieties that bind specifically to two or more different targets. The two or more specific binding moieties are conjugated to different haptens, and at least one of the haptens is an oxazole, a pyrazole, a thiazole, a nitroaryl compound other than dinitrophenyl, a benzofurazan, a triterpene, a urea, a thiourea, a rotenoid, a coumarin, a cyclolignan, a heterobiaryl, an azo aryl, or a benzodiazepine. The sample is contacted with two or more different anti-hapten antibodies that can be detected separately. The two or more different anti-hapten antibodies may be conjugated to different detectable labels. - link

• SARS-CoV-2 RBD共轭纳米颗粒疫苗 - 本发明涉及免疫医学领域，具体而言，涉及一种SARS‑CoV‑2 RBD共轭纳米颗粒疫苗。该疫苗包含免疫原性复合物，所述免疫原性复合物包含：a）与SpyCatcher融合表达的载体蛋白自组装得到的纳米颗粒载体；b）与SpyTag融合表达的SARS‑CoV‑2病毒的RBD抗原；所述载体蛋白选自Ferritin、mi3和I53‑50；所述载体蛋白与所述抗原之间通过SpyCatcher‑SpyTag共价连接。 - link

• Устройство электронного контроля и дистанционного управления аппарата искусственной вентиляции легких - Полезная модель относится к медицинской технике, а именно к устройствам для воздействия на дыхательную систему пациента смесью различных газов, в частности, к устройствам для проведения искусственной вентиляции легких (ИВЛ). Технический результат предлагаемой полезной модели заключается в решении технической проблемы, состоящей в необходимости расширения арсенала технических средств, предназначенных для электронного контроля и управления ИВЛ, путем реализации возможности дистанционного управления аппаратами ИВЛ в медицинских учреждениях, не оборудованных кабельными вычислительными сетями. Указанный технический результат достигается благодаря тому, что в известное устройство электронного контроля и дистанционного управления аппарата ИВЛ, содержащее центральный микроконтроллер, а также программно-аппаратные средства управления функциями доставки воздушной смеси пациенту и многоуровневой тревожной сигнализации об отклонениях от нормативных условий и технических неполадках в аппарате ИВЛ, введены связанные друг с другом микроконтроллер связи и дистанционного управления и радиомодем, выполненный с возможностью связи с точками доступа радиканальной сети, при этом центральный микроконтроллер устройства выполнен с дополнительными входом/выходом, которые связаны с управляющими выходом/входом микроконтроллера связи и дистанционного управления, а, в зависимости от типа применяемой в медицинском учреждении радиоканальной сети связи и передачи данных, радиомодем может быть выполнен в виде интерфейсного аудиомодуля Bluetooth 4.0 BLE, приемопередающего модуля Wi-Fi либо устройства "малого радиуса действия", работающего по технологии LoRa на нелицензируемых частотах мегагерцового диапазона, например, в диапазоне 868 МГц. 3 з.п. ф-лы, 1 ил. - link