Covid-19 Sentry

Contents

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

From Preprints

• The COVID-19 pandemic and the menstrual cycle: research gaps and opportunities -
  Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, discussions on social media and blogs have indicated that women have experienced menstrual changes, including altered menstrual duration, frequency, regularity, and volume (heavier bleeding and clotting), increased dysmenorrhea, and worsened premenstrual syndrome. There have been a small number of scientific studies of variable quality reporting on menstrual cycle features during the pandemic, but it is still unclear whether apparent changes are due to COVID-19 infection/illness itself, or other pandemic-related factors like increased psychological stress and changes in health behaviours. It is also unclear to what degree current findings are explained by reporting bias, recall bias, selection bias and confounding factors. Further research is urgently needed. We provide a list of outstanding research questions and potential approaches to address them. Findings can inform policies to mitigate against gender inequalities in health and society, allowing us to build back better post-COVID.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: The COVID-19 pandemic and the menstrual cycle: research gaps and opportunities
• Impact of social distancing on the mental health of parents and children in Qatar -
  This study investigated the effects of COVID-19-related social distancing practices on parents and children’s mental health and explored the roles parental activities with children and coping strategies among families in Qatar. The sample of 308 parents completed self-reported questionnaires regarding parents’ mental health, coping strategies, and activities with children, social distancing practices, and both parents’ and children’s mental health. The results showed a significant positive correlation between social distancing and parents’ activities with children and their coping strategies, as well as between parents’ mental health and parents’ activities with children, children’s mental health, and parents’ coping strategies. The path analysis showed that social distancing practices influence both parents’ and children’s mental health through parents’ activities with children and their coping strategies. Our findings revealed how living under stressful conditions such as COVID-19 could enhance the mental health of family members.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Impact of social distancing on the mental health of parents and children in Qatar
• E156/G and Arg158, Phe-157/del mutation in NTD of spike protein in B.1.167.2 lineage of SARS-CoV-2 leads to immune evasion through antibody escape -
  New emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2 remains a persistent threat with better immune escape mechanisms and higher transmissibility across the globe. B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant first emerged from Maharashtra, India in December, 2020. This variant is classified to be a major cause and concern of the recent peak of COVID-19 in India. Cellular entry of coronaviruses largely depends on binding of the viral spike (S) proteins to host receptors and priming by host cell proteases through the contact of the droplets containing pathogenic virus particles. Our research study, explore the genomic and structural basis of this variant through computational analysis, protein modelling and molecular dynamics simulations approach and identifies the mechanism through which it is probably more pathogenically evolved with higher transmissibility as compared to the wild-type. These findings reveal the significant difference in rigidity and reducing the flexibility within N-terminal domain (NTD) of the spike protein, hence prevailing case of antibody escape. The results of the present study demonstrate the fitness advantage to the new variant which further need to be critically examined though supportive experimental biology that might help devising better therapeutics and containment of SARS-CoV-2.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: E156/G and Arg158, Phe-157/del mutation in NTD of spike protein in B.1.167.2 lineage of SARS-CoV-2 leads to immune evasion through antibody escape
• Dynamics and self-assembly of the SARS-CoV-2 spike transmembrane domain -
  The spike (S) protein is a trimeric, membrane-anchored fusion protein that enables coronaviruses, such as the SARS-CoV-2, to recognize and fuse with their hosts’ cells. While the prefusion and postfusion structures of the ectomembrane domain of the spike protein are available, the corresponding organization of its transmembrane domain is obscure. Since the transmembrane and ectomembrane domains of fusion proteins are conformationally linked, an understanding of trimerization and transmembrane conformations in the viral envelope is a prerequisite to completely understand viral fusion by the spike protein. To address this, we computationally explored the self-assembly of the SARS-CoV-2 spike transmembrane domain, starting first by determining the membrane boundaries of the spike transmembrane helix. Using atomistic molecular dynamics simulations, we found the spike protein transmembrane domain to be plastic, and the transmembrane helix to be very dynamic. The observed movements of the helix changed the membrane embedded sequence, and thereby affected the conformational ensemble of the transmembrane assembly in Martini coarse grained simulations, even flipping the super-helical handedness. Analysis of the transmembrane organization of the spike transmembrane helix provided rich insights into the interfaces utilized to self-associate. Moreover, we identified two distinct cholesterol binding regions on the transmembrane helix with different affinities for the sterol. The cholesterol binding pockets overlapped with regions involved in the initiation of transmembrane protein-protein interaction. Together, the results from our multiscale simulations not only provide insight into understudied trimeric helical interfaces in biomembranes, but also enhance our understanding of the elusive transmembrane conformational dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 spike and more generally of viral fusion proteins. These insights should enable the inclusion of the conformations of the spike protein transmembrane domain into the prevalent models of virus fusion.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Dynamics and self-assembly of the SARS-CoV-2 spike transmembrane domain
• Parents’ Distress and Poor Parenting during a COVID-19 Lockdown: The Buffering Effects of Partner Support and Cooperative Coparenting -
  The COVID-19 pandemic is placing demands on parents that may amplify the risk of parents’ distress and poor parenting. Leveraging a pre-pandemic study in New Zealand, the current research tests whether parents’ psychological distress during a mandated lockdown predicts relative residual changes in poorer parenting and whether partner support and cooperative coparenting buffer this potentially detrimental effect. Participants included 362 parents, of which 310 were from the same family. Parents had completed assessments of psychological distress and parenting prior to the pandemic, and then then reported on their distress, parenting, partner support and cooperative coparenting during a nationwide COVID-19 lockdown. Parents’ distress during the lockdown predicted relative residual increases in harsh parenting, but this effect was buffered by partner support. Parents’ distress also predicted residual decreases in warm/responsive parenting and parent-child relationship quality, but these effects were buffered by cooperative coparenting. Partner support and cooperative coparenting are important targets for future research and interventions to help parents navigate challenging family contexts, including COVID-19 lockdowns.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Parents’ Distress and Poor Parenting during a COVID-19 Lockdown: The Buffering Effects of Partner Support and Cooperative Coparenting
• In vitro evaluation of the effect of mutations in primer binding sites on detection of SARS-CoV-2 by RT-qPCR -
  A number of RT-qPCR assays for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 have been published and are listed by the WHO as recommended assays. Furthermore, numerous commercial assays with undisclosed primer and probe sequences are on the market. As the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic progresses, the virus accrues mutations, which in some cases - as seen with the B.1.1.7 variant - can outperform and push back other strains of SARS-CoV-2. If mutations occur in primer or probe binding sites, this can impact RT-qPCR results and impede SARS-CoV-2 diagnostics. Here we tested the effect of primer mismatches on RT-qPCR performance in vitro using synthetic mismatch in vitro transcripts. The effects of the mismatches ranged from a shift in ct values from -0.13 to +7.61. Crucially, we found that a mismatch in the forward primer has a more detrimental effect for PCR performance than a mismatch in the reverse primer. Furthermore, we compared the performance of the original Charite RdRP primer set, which has several ambiguities, with a primer version without ambiguities and found that without ambiguities the ct values are ca. 3 ct lower. Finally, we investigated the shift in ct values observed with the Seegene Allplex kit with the B.1.1.7 SARS-CoV-2 variant and found a three-nucleotide mismatch in the forward primer of the N target.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: In vitro evaluation of the effect of mutations in primer binding sites on detection of SARS-CoV-2 by RT-qPCR
• Neutralization against B.1.351 and B.1.617.2 with sera of COVID-19 recovered cases and vaccinees of BBV152 -
  Recently, multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants have been detected across the globe.The recent emergence of B.1.617 lineage has created serious public health problem in India. The high transmissibility was observed with this lineage which has led to daily increase in the number of SARS-CoV-2 infections. Apparently, the sub-lineage B.1.617.2 has slowly dominated the other variants including B1617.1, B.617.3 and B.1.1.7. With this, World Health Organization has described B.1.617.2 as variant of concern. Besides this, variant of concern B.1.351 has been also reported from India, known to showreducedefficacyfor many approved vaccines. With the increasing threat of the SARS-CoV-2 variants, it is imperative to assess the efficacy of the currently available vaccines against these variants. Here, we have evaluated the neutralization potential of sera collected from COVID-19 recovered cases (n=20) and vaccinees with two doses of BBV152 (n=17) against B.1.351 and B.1.617.2 compared to the prototype B.1 (D614G) variant.The finding of the study demonstrated a reduction in neutralization titers with sera of COVID-19 recovered cases(3.3-fold and 4.6-fold) and BBV152 vaccinees (3. 0 and 2.7 fold) against B.1.351 and B.1.617.2 respectively. Although, there is reduction in neutralization titer, the whole-virion inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (BBV152) demonstrates protective response against VOC B.1351 and B.1.617.2.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Neutralization against B.1.351 and B.1.617.2 with sera of COVID-19 recovered cases and vaccinees of BBV152
• FXR inhibition reduces ACE2 expression, SARS-CoV-2 infection and may improve COVID-19 outcome -
  Prevention of SARS-CoV-2 entry in cells through the modulation of viral host receptors, such as ACE2, could represent a new therapeutic approach complementing vaccination. However, the mechanisms controlling ACE2 expression remain elusive. Here, we identify the farnesoid X receptor (FXR) as a direct regulator of ACE2 transcription in multiple COVID19-affected tissues, including the gastrointestinal and respiratory systems. We demonstrate that FXR antagonists, including the over-the-counter compound z-guggulsterone (ZGG) and the off-patent drug ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), downregulate ACE2 levels, and reduce susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection in lung, cholangiocyte and gut organoids. We then show that therapeutic levels of UDCA downregulate ACE2 in human organs perfused ex situ and reduce SARS-CoV-2 infection ex vivo. Finally, we perform a retrospective study using registry data and identify a correlation between UDCA treatment and positive clinical outcomes following SARS-CoV-2 infection, including hospitalisation, ICU admission and death. In conclusion, we identify a novel function of FXR in controlling ACE2 expression and provide evidence that this approach could be beneficial for reducing SARS-CoV-2 infection, thereby paving the road for future clinical trials.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: FXR inhibition reduces ACE2 expression, SARS-CoV-2 infection and may improve COVID-19 outcome
• A Web Portal and Workbench for Biological Dissection of Single Cell COVID-19 Host Responses -
  Numerous studies have provided single-cell transcriptome profiles of host responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Critically lacking however is a reusable datamine to allow users to compare and explore these data for insight, inference, and hypothesis generation. To accomplish this, we harmonized datasets from blood, bronchoalveolar lavage and tissue samples from COVID-19 and other control conditions and derived a compendium of gene signature modules per cell type, subtype, clinical condition and compartment. We demonstrate approaches for exploring and evaluating their significance via a new interactive web portal (ToppCell). As examples, we develop three hypotheses: (1) a multicellular signaling cascade among alternatively differentiated monocyte-derived macrophages whose tasks include T cell recruitment and activation; (2) novel platelet subtypes with drastically modulated expression of genes responsible for adhesion, coagulation and thrombosis; (3) a multilineage cell activator network able to drive extrafollicular B maturation via an ensemble of genes extensively associated with risk for developing autoimmunity.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: A Web Portal and Workbench for Biological Dissection of Single Cell COVID-19 Host Responses
• Expression of the ACE2 virus entry protein in the nervus terminalis reveals the potential for an alternative route to brain infection in COVID-19 -
  Previous studies suggested that the SARS-CoV-2 virus may gain access to the brain by using a route along the olfactory nerve. However, there is a general consensus that the obligatory virus entry receptor, angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), is not expressed in olfactory receptor neurons, and the timing of arrival of the virus in brain targets is inconsistent with a neuronal transfer along olfactory projections. We determined whether nervus terminalis neurons and their peripheral and central projections may provide an alternative route from the nose to the brain. Nervus terminalis neurons were double-labeled with antibodies against ACE2 and nervus terminalis markers in postnatal mice. We show that most nervus terminalis neurons with cell bodies in the region between the olfactory epithelium and the olfactory bulb express ACE2, and therefore may provide a direct route for the virus from the nasal epithelium and Bowman glands to brain targets, including the telencephalon and diencephalon.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Expression of the ACE2 virus entry protein in the nervus terminalis reveals the potential for an alternative route to brain infection in COVID-19
• Long-COVID following mild SARS CoV-2 infection: characteristic T cell alterations and response to antihistamines -

  Background: Long-COVID is characterised by the emergence of multiple debilitating symptoms following SARS CoV2 infection. Its aetiology is unclear, and it often follows a mild acute illness. Anecdotal reports of gradual clinical responses to histamine receptor antagonists (HRA) suggest a histamine-dependent mechanism distinct from anaphylaxis. Histamine is a paracrine regulator of T-cells: although T-cell perturbations are reported in acute COVID-19, the T-cell landscape in recovered patients and its relationship to long-COVID remains under-explored. Objective: To survey T-cell populations in patients recovered from mild COVID-19, comparing those with long-COVID and asymptomatic individuals, and to analyse these data in light of symptoms and response to HRA. Design: Prospective observational cohort study. Setting: Single-site outpatient clinic Participants: 65 (87 to 408 days post mild COVID-19). None had sought treatment for acute COVID-19. 16 recovered uneventfully (asymptomatic group), 49 presented with long-COVID (symptomatic group), of whom 25 received HRA. Measurements: Structured long-COVID symptom questionnaire; quantification of T-cell subsets using a standard diagnostic assay. Results: HRA significantly reduced mean symptom burden. T-cell profiles distinguished asymptomatic and long-COVID groups, but did not predict response to HRA. Long-COVID patients had reduced CD4+ and CD8+ effector memory (EM) cells and increased PD-1 expression on central memory (CM) cells. Asymptomatic controls had reduced CD8+ EM cells and increased CD28 expression on CM cells. Conclusion: HRA reduce long-COVID symptoms. T-cell perturbations persist for up to 400 days following mild acute COVID-19 irrespective of long-COVID symptoms. Limitations: Preliminary, single health system study.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Long-COVID following mild SARS CoV-2 infection: characteristic T cell alterations and response to antihistamines
• Outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Patients with Chronic Liver Disease and Cirrhosis: a N3C Study -

  Background and Aims In patients with chronic liver diseases (CLD) with or without cirrhosis, existing data on the risk of adverse outcomes with SARS-CoV-2 infection have been mixed or have limited generalizability. We used the National COVID Cohort Collaborative (N3C) Data Enclave, a harmonized electronic health record (EHR) dataset of 5.9 million nationally-representative, diverse, and gender-balanced patients, to describe outcomes in patients with CLD and cirrhosis with SARS-CoV-2. Methods We identified all chronic liver diseases patients with and without cirrhosis who had SARS-CoV-2 testing documented in the N3C Data Enclave as of data release date 5/15/2021. The primary outcome was 30-day all-cause mortality. Survival analysis methods were used to estimate cumulative incidences of death, hospitalization, and mechanical ventilation, and to calculate the associations of SARS-CoV-2 infection, presence of cirrhosis, and demographic and clinical factors to 30-day mortality. Results We isolated 217,143 patients with CLD: 129,097 (59%) without cirrhosis and SARS-CoV-2 negative, 25,844 (12%) without cirrhosis and SARS-CoV-2 positive, 54,065 (25%) with cirrhosis and SARS-CoV-2 negative, and 8,137 (4%) with cirrhosis and SARS-CoV-2 positive. Among CLD patients without cirrhosis, 30-day all-cause mortality rates were 0.4% in SARS-CoV-2 negative patients and 1.8% in positive patients. Among CLD patients with cirrhosis, 30-day all-cause mortality rates were 4.0% in SARS-CoV-2 negative patients and 9.7% in positive patients. Compared to those who tested SARS-CoV-2 negative, SARS-CoV-2 positivity was associated with more than two-fold (aHR 2.43, 95% CI 2.23-2.64) hazard of death at 30 days among patients with cirrhosis. Compared to patients without cirrhosis, the presence of cirrhosis was associated with a three-fold (aHR 3.39, 95% CI 2.96-3.89) hazard of death at 30 days among patients who tested SARS-CoV-2 positive. Age (aHR 1.03 per year, 95% CI 1.03-1.04) was associated with death at 30 days among patients with cirrhosis who were SARS-CoV-2 positive. Conclusions In this study of nearly 220,000 CLD patients, we found SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with cirrhosis was associated with 2.43-times mortality hazard, and the presence of cirrhosis among CLD patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 were associated with 3.39-times mortality hazard. Compared to previous studies, our use of a nationally-representative, diverse, and gender-balanced dataset enables wide generalizability of these findings.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Patients with Chronic Liver Disease and Cirrhosis: a N3C Study
• Assessing the lockdown effect from excess mortalities -

  Background and Aims: The reported case numbers of COVID-19 are often used to estimate the growth rate of infections. We use the excess mortality instead to show the effect of most restrictive non-pharmaceutical interventions (mrNPIs) as compared to less restrictive NPIs (lrNPIs) concerning growth rate and death counts. Methods: We estimate the COVID-19 growth rate for Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, UK and USA from the excess mortality. We use the average growth rate obtained for Sweden and South Korea, the only countries with lrNPIs only, to estimate additional death numbers in the other countries, had mrNPIs not been applied. Results: The growth rate estimated from excess mortality decreased faster for countries with mrNPIs than for Sweden and South Korea, suggesting that the mrNPIs do have a non-negligible effect. Implementing lrNPIs instead of mrNPIs results in up to 3 times higher death numbers. This is not visible when the growth rate is calculated using the reported case numbers of COVID-19 instead of the excess mortality. Conclusion: The conclusion for the spreading of COVID-19 obtained from reported COVID-19 cases in previous studies are most likely biased. Using our method, a more realistic estimate of the growth rate is obtained. Conclusions made for the reproduction number derived from the reported case numbers, such as the apparent insignificance of mrNPIs (lockdowns), might therefore be wrong and will have to be reevaluated using the growth rates obtained with our method.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Assessing the lockdown effect from excess mortalities
• The stochastic dynamics of early epidemics: probability of establishment, initial growth rate, and infection cluster size at first detection -

  Emerging epidemics and local infection clusters are initially prone to stochastic effects that can substantially impact the epidemic trajectory, even in the long term. While numerous studies are devoted to the deterministic regime of an established epidemic, mathematical descriptions of the initial phase of epidemic growth are comparatively rarer. Here, we review existing mathematical results, and derive new results to elucidate the early dynamics of an infection cluster started by a single infected individual. We cover the probability of establishment of an epidemic as a function of the distribution of secondary infections, the expectation of epidemic size as a function of time, and the convergence to a deterministic exponential regime. Stochasticity systematically accelerates the initial growth of an epidemic, because epidemics that do not get extinct have faster initial growth on average. This also affects the long-term epidemic growth by increasing the cumulative size by a constant factor, the inverse of the establishment probability, when compared to the deterministic prediction. These results are critical to improve early cluster detection and control. We compute the probability distribution of the first detection time of an infected individual in an infection cluster depending on the testing effort (assumed to be constant in time), and estimate that the SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern B.1.1.7 detected in September 2020 first appeared in the United Kingdom early August 2020. We estimate a minimal testing frequency to detect clusters before they exceed a certain threshold size, and we compute the detection rate of infected individuals during a single mass testing effort. For example, in a COVID-19-parameterized model with an effective reproduction number R=1.1, a fraction 1.3% of a population needs to be randomly tested each day for cluster size to not exceed 30 infected individuals. These results improve our theoretical understanding of early epidemics and will be useful for the study and control of local infectious disease clusters.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: The stochastic dynamics of early epidemics: probability of establishment, initial growth rate, and infection cluster size at first detection
• SC-MEB: spatial clustering with hidden Markov random field using empirical Bayes -
  Spatial transcriptomics (ST) has been emerging as a powerful technique for resolving gene expression profiles while retaining the tissue spatial information. These spatially resolved transcriptomics make it feasible to examine the complex mulitcellular systems under different microenvironments. To answer scientific questions with spatial transcriptomics, the first step is to identify cell clusters by integrating available spatial information which would expand the understanding of how cell types and states are regulated by tissues. Here, we introduce SC-MEB, an empirical Bayes approach for spatial clustering analysis using hidden Markov random field. We also derive an efficient expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm based on iterative conditional mode (ICM) for SC-MEB. Compared with BayesSpace, a recently developed method, SC-MEB is not only computationally efficient and scalable to the sample size increment, but also is capable of choosing the smoothness parameter and the number of clusters as well. We then performed comprehensive simulation studies to demonstrate the effectiveness of SC-MEB over some existing methods. We first applied SC-MEB to perform clustering analysis in the spatial transcriptomics dataset from human dorsolateral prefrontal cortex tissues that were manually annotated. Our analysis results show that SC-MEB can achieve similar clustering performance with BayesSpace that uses the true number of clusters and fixed smoothness parameter. We then applied SC-MEB to analyze the dataset from a patient with colorectal cancer (CRC) and COVID-19, and further performed differential expression analysis to identify signature genes related to the clustering results. The heatmap for identified signature genes shows that the identified clusters from SC-MEB is more separable than those from BayesSpace. By using pathway analysis, we identified three immune-related clusters and further compared mean expressions of COVID-19 signature genes in immune regions with those in non-immune ones. As such, SC-MEB provides a valuable computational tool for investigating structural organizations of tissues from spatial transcriptomic data.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: SC-MEB: spatial clustering with hidden Markov random field using empirical Bayes

From Clinical Trials

• Study of Intravenous COVI-MSC for Treatment of COVID-19-Induced Acute Respiratory Distress - Condition:   Covid19
  Interventions:   Biological: COVI-MSC;   Drug: Placebo
  Sponsor:   Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc.
  Not yet recruiting

• Study of Allogeneic Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Treatment of COVID-19 Acute Respiratory Distress - Condition:   Covid19
  Interventions:   Biological: COVI-MSC;   Drug: Placebo
  Sponsor:   Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc.
  Not yet recruiting

• Study to Evaluate a Single Intranasal Dose of STI-2099 (COVI-DROPS™) in Outpatient Adults With COVID-19 (US) - Condition:   Covid19
  Interventions:   Biological: COVI-DROPS;   Drug: Placebo
  Sponsor:   Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc.
  Not yet recruiting

• Study to Evaluate a Single Intranasal Dose of STI-2099 (COVI-DROPS™) in Outpatient Adults With COVID-19 (UK) - Condition:   Covid19
  Interventions:   Biological: COVI-DROPS;   Drug: Placebo
  Sponsor:   Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc.
  Not yet recruiting

• Study of Allogeneic Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells to Treat Post COVID-19 “Long Haul” Pulmonary Compromise - Condition:   Covid19
  Intervention:   Biological: COVI-MSC
  Sponsor:   Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc.
  Not yet recruiting

• Intramuscular VIR-7831 (Sotrovimab) for Mild/Moderate COVID-19 - Condition:   Covid19
  Intervention:   Biological: VIR-7831
  Sponsors:   Vir Biotechnology, Inc.;   GlaxoSmithKline
  Not yet recruiting

• CISCO-21 Prevent and Treat Long COVID-19. - Condition:   Covid19
  Intervention:   Other: Resistance Exercise
  Sponsors:   NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde;   University of Glasgow;   Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Government
  Not yet recruiting

• Leronlimab in Moderatelly Ill Patients With COVID-19 Pneumonia - Condition:   COVID-19 Pneumonia
  Interventions:   Drug: Leronlimab;   Drug: Placebo
  Sponsors:   Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein;   CytoDyn, Inc.
  Not yet recruiting

• Collecting Respiratory Sound Samples From Corona Patients to Extend the Diagnostic Capability of VOQX Electronic Stethoscope to Diagnose COVID-19 Patients - Condition:   COVID-19
  Intervention:   Diagnostic Test: Electronic stethoscope
  Sponsor:   Sanolla
  Recruiting

• To Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of TQ Formula in Covid-19 Participants - Condition:   Covid19
  Intervention:   Drug: Black Seed Oil Cap/Tab
  Sponsor:   Novatek Pharmaceuticals
  Recruiting

• Leronlimab in Critically Ill Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) With Need for Mechanical Ventilation or Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation - Condition:   COVID-19 Pneumonia
  Interventions:   Drug: Leronlimab;   Drug: Placebo
  Sponsors:   Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein;   CytoDyn, Inc.
  Not yet recruiting

• Evaluation of the INDICAID™ COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Test - Condition:   Covid19
  Interventions:   Device: Rapid antigen testing and offsite PCR testing;   Device: Rapid antigen testing and onsite PCR testing
  Sponsor:   University of California, Los Angeles
  Completed

• Detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in Coughed Droplets From Patients With COVID-19 - Condition:   Covid19
  Intervention:   Device: PneumoniaCheck
  Sponsors:   Emory University;   Georgia Tech Foundation
  Recruiting

• Epidemiologic Intelligence Network (EpI-Net) to Promote COVID-19 Testing - Condition:   Covid19
  Intervention:   Other: Epi-Net Intervention
  Sponsors:   Ponce Medical School Foundation, Inc.;   Duke University;   Harvard School of Public Health
  Recruiting

• Exploratory Study to Evaluate the Efficacy of RUTI® Against SARS-COV-2 Infection (COVID-19) in Healthcare Workers - Condition:   Covid-19
  Interventions:   Biological: RUTI® vaccine;   Biological: Placebo
  Sponsor:   RUTI Immunotherapeutics S.L.
  Recruiting

From PubMed

• SARS-CoV-2 RNAemia and proteomic trajectories inform prognostication in COVID-19 patients admitted to intensive care - Prognostic characteristics inform risk stratification in intensive care unit (ICU) patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We obtained blood samples (n = 474) from hospitalized COVID-19 patients (n = 123), non-COVID-19 ICU sepsis patients (n = 25) and healthy controls (n = 30). Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA was detected in plasma or serum (RNAemia) of COVID-19 ICU patients when neutralizing antibody response was low. RNAemia is associated with higher…

• Computational details of molecular structure, spectroscopic properties, topological studies and SARS-Cov-2 enzyme molecular docking simulation of substituted triazolo pyrimidine thione heterocycles - Investigation the molecular structure of the system requires a detailed experience in dealing with theoretical computational guides to highlight its important role. Molecular structure of three heterocyclic compounds 8,10-diphenylpyrido[3,2-e][1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-c]pyrimidine-3(2H)-thione (HL), 8-phenyl-10-(p-tolyl)pyrido[3,2-e][1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-c]pyrimidine-3(2H)-thione (CH(3)L) and10-(4-nitrophenyl)-8-phenylpyrido[3,2-e][1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-c]pyrimidine-3(2H)-thione (NO(2)L) was studied at…

• Signal-regulatory protein alpha is an anti-viral entry factor targeting viruses using endocytic pathways - Signal-regulatory protein alpha (SIRPA) is a well-known inhibitor of phagocytosis when it complexes with CD47 expressed on target cells. Here we show that SIRPA decreased in vitro infection by a number of pathogenic viruses, including New World and Old world arenaviruses, Zika virus, vesicular stomatitis virus and pseudoviruses bearing the Machupo virus, Ebola virus and SARS-CoV-2 glycoproteins, but not HSV-1, MLV or mNoV. Moreover, mice with targeted mutation of the Sirpa gene that renders it…

• Identification of novel drug candidates for the inhibition of catalytic cleavage activity of coronavirus 3CL-like protease enzyme - CONCLUSION: Thus, the present study offers two novel chemical entities against coronavirus infections, which can be validated through various biological assays.

• Hepatitis C Virus Protease Inhibitors Show Differential Efficacy and Interactions with Remdesivir for Treatment of SARS-CoV-2 in Vitro - Antivirals targeting SARS-CoV-2 could improve treatment of COVID-19. We evaluated efficacy of clinically relevant hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3 protease inhibitors (PI) against SARS-CoV-2 and their interactions with remdesivir, the only direct-acting antiviral approved for COVID-19 treatment. HCV PI showed differential potency in short-term treatment assays based on detection of SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein in VeroE6 cells. Linear PI boceprevir, telaprevir and narlaprevir had 50% effective…

• Nanobiocide Based-Silver Nanomaterials Upon Coronaviruses: Approaches for Preventing Viral Infections - The effectiveness of silver nanomaterials (AgNMs), as antiviral agents, has been confirmed in humans against many different types of viruses. Nanobiocides-based AgNMs can be effectively applied to eliminate coronaviruses (CoVs), as the cause of various diseases in animals and humans, particularly the fatal human respiratory infections. Mostly, these NMs act effectively against CoVs, thanks to the NMs’ fundamental anti-viral structures like reactive oxygen species (ROS), and photo-dynamic and…

• Pathophysiology of Coagulopathy in Hematological Malignancies and in COVID-19 - Many severe illnesses with a systemic impact may cause activation of coagulation. While systemic activation of coagulation leads to a coagulopathy that follows many common activation pathways and failure of endogenous regulatory anticoagulant systems, underlying conditions may utilize distinctive pathogenetic routes and may vary in clinical manifestations of the coagulopathy. The coagulation derangement associated with hematological malignancies and the coagulopathy of coronavirus disease 2019…

• Virtual Screening of Phytochemicals by Targeting HR1 Domain of SARS-CoV-2 S Protein: Molecular Docking, Molecular Dynamics Simulations, and DFT Studies - The recent COVID-19 pandemic has impacted nearly the whole world due to its high morbidity and mortality rate. Thus, scientists around the globe are working to find potent drugs and designing an effective vaccine against COVID-19. Phytochemicals from medicinal plants are known to have a long history for the treatment of various pathogens and infections; thus, keeping this in mind, this study was performed to explore the potential of different phytochemicals as candidate inhibitors of the HR1…

• Encapsulated Food Products as a Strategy to Strengthen Immunity Against COVID-19 - In December 2019, the severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-a novel coronavirus was identified which was quickly distributed to more than 100 countries around the world. There are currently no approved treatments available but only a few preventive measures are available. Among them, maintaining strong immunity through the intake of functional foods is a sustainable solution to resist the virus attack. For this, bioactive compounds (BACs) are delivered safely…

• Multi-targeting of functional cysteines in multiple conserved SARS-CoV-2 domains by clinically safe Zn-ejectors - We present a near-term treatment strategy to tackle pandemic outbreaks of coronaviruses with no specific drugs/vaccines by combining evolutionary and physical principles to identify conserved viral domains containing druggable Zn-sites that can be targeted by clinically safe Zn-ejecting compounds. By applying this strategy to SARS-CoV-2 polyprotein-1ab, we predicted multiple labile Zn-sites in papain-like cysteine protease (PL^(pro)), nsp10 transcription factor, and nsp13 helicase. These are…

• Potential role of Nigella sativa supplementation with physical activity in prophylaxis and treatment of COVID-19: a contemporary review - The widespread prevalence and mortality of coronavirus diseases-2019 (COVID-19) lead many researchers to study the SARS-CoV-s2 infection to find a treatment for this disease. Discovering the mechanisms of action of COVID-19 and coping at the cellular level with this disease can have better effects. Including the target tissues of this disease are the lungs and the immune system. It is stated that COVID-19 easily infiltrates into alveoli through its receptors and then starts to proliferate….

• Can Resveratrol-Inhaled Formulations Be Considered Potential Adjunct Treatments for COVID-19? - The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has led to an extraordinary threat to the global healthcare system. This infection disease, named COVID-19, is characterized by a wide clinical spectrum, ranging from asymptomatic or mild upper respiratory tract illness to severe viral pneumonia with fulminant cytokine storm, which leads to respiratory failure. To improve patient outcomes, both the inhibition of viral replication and of the unwarranted…

• Global Trends in Research of Macrophages Associated With Acute Lung Injury Over Past 10 Years: A Bibliometric Analysis - Acute lung injury (ALI) is an intractable disorder associated with macrophages. This bibliometric analysis was applied to identify the characteristics of global scientific output, the hotspots, and frontiers about macrophages in ALI over the past 10 years. We retrieved publications published from 2011 to 2020 and their recorded information from Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-expanded) of Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC). Bibliometrix package was used to analyze bibliometric…

• Chemical profiling of Huashi Baidu prescription, an effective anti-COVID-19 TCM formula, by UPLC-Q-TOF/MS - Huashi Baidu prescription (HSBDF), recommended in the Guideline for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Pneumonia (On Trials, the Seventh Edition), was clinically used to treat severe corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) with cough, blood-stained sputum, inhibited defecation, red tongue etc. symptoms. This study was aimed to elucidate and profile the knowledge on its chemical constituents and the potential anti-inflammatory effect in vitro. In the study, the chemical…

• This Is Not a Pipe But how harmful is electronic cigarette smoke - This issue of the Biomedical Journal tells us about the risks of electronic cigarette smoking, variations of SARS-CoV-2 and ACE2, and how COVID-19 affects the gastrointestinal system. Moreover, we learn that cancer immunotherapy seems to work well in elderly patients, how thyroid hormones regulate noncoding RNAs in a liver tumour context, and that G6PD is a double-edged sword of redox signalling. We also discover that Perilla leaf extract could inhibit SARS-CoV-2, that artificial neural networks…

From Patent Search

• 폐마스크 밀봉 회수기 - 본 발명은 마스크 착용 후 버려지는 일회용 폐마스크를 비닐봉지에 넣은 후 밀봉하여 배출함으로써, 2차 감염을 예방하고 일반 생활폐기물과 선별 분리 배출하여 환경오염을 방지하는 데 그 목적이 있다. - link

• COST EFFECTIVE PORTABLE OXYGEN CONCENTRATOR FOR COVID-19 - - link

• METHOD OF IDENTIFYING SEVERE ACUTE RESPIRATORY SYNDROME CORONA VIRUS 2 (SARS-COV-2) RIBONUCLEIC ACID (RNA) - - link

• IMPROVEMENTS RELATED TO PARTICLE, INCLUDING SARS-CoV-2, DETECTION AND METHODS THEREFOR - - link

• DEEP LEARNING BASED SYSTEM FOR DETECTION OF COVID-19 DISEASE OF PATIENT AT INFECTION RISK - The present invention relates to Deep learning based system for detection of covid-19 disease of patient at infection risk. The objective of the present invention is to solve the problems in the prior art related to technologies of detection of covid-19 disease using CT scan image processing. - link

• Wiederverwendbare Maske -

  Wiederverwendbare Maske, mit einem Maskenkörper (100), einem Fixierband (300) zum Befestigen des Maskenkörpers (100) an einem menschlichen Gesicht, einer auswechselbaren Schicht (200), die zwischen dem menschlichen Gesicht und dem Maskenkörper (100) angeordnet ist, und einem Fixierteil (400) zum Fixieren der auswechselbaren Schicht auf dem Maskenkörper (100).

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• A COMPREHENSIVE DISINFECTION SYSTEM DURING PANDEMIC FOR PERSONAL ITEMS AND PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT (PPE) TO SAFEGUARD PEOPLE - The current Covid-19 pandemic has led to an enormous demand for gadgets / objects for personal protection. To prevent the spread of virus, it is important to disinfect commonly touched objects. One of the ways suggested is to use a personal UV-C disinfecting box that is “efficient and effective in deactivating the COVID-19 virus. The present model has implemented the use of a UV transparent material (fused silica quartz glass tubes) as the medium of support for the objects to be disinfected to increase the effectiveness of disinfection without compromising the load bearing capacity. Aluminum foil, a UV reflecting material, was used as the inner lining of the box for effective utilization of the UVC light emitted by the UVC lamps. Care has been taken to prevent leakage of UVC radiation out of the system. COVID-19 virus can be inactivated in 5 minutes by UVC irradiation in this disinfection box - link

• UBIQUITOUS COMPUTING SYSTEM FOR MENTAL HEALTH MONITORING OF PERSON DURING THE PANDEMIC OF COVID-19 - - link

• 一种预判重症新冠肺炎（COVID-19）的标志物及其产品和用途 - 本发明提供了一种预判重症疾病的标志物，所述的预判重症疾病的标志物为S100A12，序列为SEQ ID NO.1，所述的重症疾病为重症新冠肺炎、重症感染中的一种。S100A12基因作为标志物，在预判重症疾病时对全血中的S100A12基因的表达水平进行检测即可，无需对白细胞进行分离，简化检测流程。S100A12的表达水平可以指导感染类疾病包括新冠肺炎重症的预判，从而及早施治，降低病死率，具有很好的临床应用前景。 - link

• 一种新型冠状病毒COVID-19-S1蛋白的表达和纯化方法 - 本发明属于生物技术领域，具体涉及一种新型冠状病毒COVID‑19‑S1蛋白的表达和纯化方法。本发明提供的方法，主要包括构建COVID‑19‑S1蛋白表达质粒、将COVID‑19‑S1蛋白表达质粒转化、培养表达COVID‑19‑S1蛋白、纯化COVID‑19‑S1蛋白等过程。本发明将能在293F细胞中高分泌表达蛋白的信号肽与Kozak区和编码人COVID‑19‑S1蛋白的基因进行重组，来提高目的蛋白的表达量和分泌量。采用本发明提供的方法，可以解决新型冠状病毒COVID‑19‑S1蛋白分泌量低、纯度低的问题，为免疫学快速诊断、制备单抗、开展解析蛋白结构研究等提供物质基础。 - link