Covid-19 Sentry

Contents

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

From Preprints

• The financial investment instruments in Vietnam -
  Seeking solutions and/or pathways to help recover and boost the economy in the post-COVID-19 context is a Vietnam’s priority goal. As one of the economy’s pillars, financial investment instruments have received high attention from economic experts and policymakers. In this short note, we present the brief description on six key financial investment instruments that include bank deposits, real estate, gold, insurance, stock market, cryptocurrency.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: The financial investment instruments in Vietnam
• Mood Symptoms Predict COVID-19 Pandemic Distress but not Vice Versa: An 18-Month Longitudinal Study -
  The COVID-19 pandemic has had medical, economic and behavioral implications on a global scale and was argued to have negatively impacted the population’s mental health as well. The current study utilizes longitudinal data to assess such an assertion. An international group of 218 participants completed measures of depression, anxiety, rumination and distress intoler-ance at two baselines six months apart as well as at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic ex-actly 12 months later. Contrary to expectations, depression, rumination, and distress intolerance were at equivalent levels during the pandemic as they were at baseline. Anxiety was reduced by a trivial degree (d = .10). Furthermore, a comparison of quantitative explanatory models indi-cated that symptom severity and pandemic-related environmental stressors predicted pandem-ic-related distress, but pandemic-related distress did not predict symptom severity. These find-ings underscore the necessity of longitudinal designs and diathesis-stress models in the study of mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Mood Symptoms Predict COVID-19 Pandemic Distress but not Vice Versa: An 18-Month Longitudinal Study
• Severity Predictors of COVID-19 in SARS-CoV-2 Variant, Delta and Omicron Period; Single Center Study -

  Background: The outcomes of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) treatment have improved due to vaccination and the establishment of better treatment regimens. However, the emergence of variants of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes COVID-19, and the corresponding changes in the characteristics of the disease present new challenges in patient management. This study aimed to analyze predictors of COVID-19 severity caused by the delta and omicron variants of SARS-CoV-2. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the data of patients who were admitted for COVID-19 at Yokohama City University Hospital from August 2021 to March 2022. Results: A total of 141 patients were included in this study. Of these, 91 had moderate COVID-19, whereas 50 had severe COVID-19. There were significant differences in sex, vaccination status, dyspnea, sore throat symptoms, and body mass index (BMI) (p <0.0001, p <0.001, p <0.001, p=0.02, p< 0.0001, respectively) between the moderate and severe COVID-19 groups. Regarding comorbidities, smoking habit and renal dysfunction were significantly different between the two groups (p=0.007 and p=0.01, respectively). Regarding laboratory data, only LDH level on the first day of hospitalization was significantly different between the two groups (p<0.001). Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that time from the onset of COVID-19 to hospitalization, BMI, smoking habit, and LDH level were significantly different between the two groups (p<0.03, p=0.039, p=0.008, p<0.001, respectively). The cut-off value for the time from onset of COVID-19 to hospitalization was four days (sensitivity, 0.73; specificity, 0.70). Conclusions: Time from the onset of COVID-19 to hospitalization is the most important factor in the prevention of the aggravation of COVID-19 caused by the delta and omicron SARS-CoV-2 variants. Appropriate medical management within four days after the onset of COVID-19 is essential for preventing the progression of COVID-19, especially in patients with smoking habits.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Severity Predictors of COVID-19 in SARS-CoV-2 Variant, Delta and Omicron Period; Single Center Study
• A Plagiarism Paperdemic - Plagiarism in infection journals in the era of COVID-19 -

  Abstract Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused drastic changes in the publishing framework in order to quickly review and publish vital information during this public health emergency. The quality of the academic work being published may have been compromised. One area of concern is plagiarism, where the work of others is directly copied and represented as ones own. The purpose of this study is to determine the presence of plagiarism in infection journals in papers relating to the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Consecutively occurring original research or reviews relating to the COVID-19 pandemic, published in infection journals as ranked by SCOPUS Journal finder were collected. Each manuscript was optimized and uploaded to the Turnitin program. Similarity reports were then manually checked for true plagiarism within the text, where any sentence with more than 80% copying was deemed plagiarised. Results: A total of 310 papers were analyzed in this cross-sectional study. Papers from a total of 23 journals among 4 quartiles were examined. Of the papers we examined, 41.6% were deemed plagiarised (n=129). Among the plagiarised papers, the average number of copied sentences was 5.42+/-9.18. The highest recorded similarity report was 60%, and the highest number of copied sentences was 85. Plagiarism was higher in papers published in the year 2020. The most problematic area in the manuscripts was the discussion section. Self plagiarism was identified in 31 papers. Average time to judge all manuscripts was 2.45+/-3.09. Among all the plagiarized papers 72% belonged to papers where the similarity report was less than 15% (n=93). Papers published from core anglosphere speaking countries were not associated with higher rates of plagiarism. No significant differences were found with regards to plagiarism events among the quartiles. Conclusion: Plagiarism is prevalent in COVID19 related publications in infection journals among various quartiles. It is not enough to rely only on similarity reports. Such reports must be accompanied by manual curation of the results with an appropriate threshold to be able to appropriately determine if plagiarism is occurring. The majority of plagiarism is occurring in reports of less than 15% similarity, and this is a blind spot. Incorporating a manual judge could save future time in avoiding retractions and improving the quality of papers in these journals.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: A Plagiarism Paperdemic - Plagiarism in infection journals in the era of COVID-19
• Protein Geometry, Function and Mutation -
  This survey summarizes several works by the author on protein geometry and protein function with applications to viral glycoproteins in general and the spike glycoprotein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in particular. Though a certain level of mathematical sophistication is assumed, the background biology and biophysics are sketched. This body of work culminates in a postulate that protein secondary structure regulates mutation, with backbone hydrogen bonds materializing in critical regions to avoid mutation, and disappearing from other regions to enable it.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Protein Geometry, Function and Mutation
• A yeast-based system to study SARS-CoV-2 Mpro structure and to identify nirmatrelvir resistant mutations -
  The SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro) is a major therapeutic target. The Mpro inhibitor, nirmatrelvir, is the antiviral component of Paxlovid, an orally available treatment for COVID-19. As Mpro inhibitor use increases, drug resistant mutations will likely emerge. We have established a non-pathogenic system, in which yeast growth serves as a proxy for Mpro activity, enabling rapid identification of mutants with altered enzymatic activity and drug sensitivity. The E166 residue is known to be a potential hot spot for drug resistance and yeast assays showed that an E166R substitution conferred strong nirmatrelvir resistance while an E166N mutation compromised activity. On the other hand, N142A and P132H mutations caused little to no change in drug response and activity. Standard enzymatic assays confirmed the yeast results. In turn, we solved the structures of Mpro E166R, and Mpro E166N, providing insights into how arginine may drive drug resistance while asparagine leads to reduced activity. The work presented here will help characterize novel resistant variants of Mpro that may arise as Mpro antivirals become more widely used.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: A yeast-based system to study SARS-CoV-2 Mpro structure and to identify nirmatrelvir resistant mutations
• Multiple pathways for SARS-CoV-2 resistance to nirmatrelvir -
  Nirmatrelvir, an oral antiviral targeting the 3CL protease of SARS-CoV-2, has been demonstrated to be clinically useful in reducing hospitalization or death due to COVID-191,2. However, as SARS-CoV-2 has evolved to become resistant to other therapeutic modalities3-9, there is a concern that the same could occur for nirmatrelvir. Here, we have examined this possibility by in vitro passaging of SARS-CoV-2 in increasing concentrations of nirmatrelvir using two independent approaches, including one on a large scale in 480 wells. Indeed, highly resistant viruses emerged from both, and their sequences revealed a multitude of 3CL protease mutations. In the experiment done at scale, 53 independent viral lineages were selected with mutations observed at 23 different residues of the enzyme. Yet, several common mutational pathways to nirmatrelvir resistance were preferred, with a majority of the viruses descending from T21I, P252L, or T304I as precursor mutations. Construction and analysis of 13 recombinant SARS-CoV-2 clones, each containing a unique mutation or a combination of mutations showed that the above precursor mutations only mediated low-level resistance, whereas greater resistance required accumulation of additional mutations. E166V mutation conferred the strongest resistance (~300-fold), but this mutation resulted in a loss of viral replicative fitness that was restored by compensatory changes such as L50F and T21I. Structural explanations are discussed for some of the mutations that are proximal to the drug-binding site, as well as cross-resistance or lack thereof to ensitrelvir, another clinically important 3CL protease inhibitor. Our findings indicate that SARS-CoV-2 resistance to nirmatrelvir does readily arise via multiple pathways in vitro, and the specific mutations observed herein form a strong foundation from which to study the mechanism of resistance in detail and to shed light on the design of next generation protease inhibitors.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Multiple pathways for SARS-CoV-2 resistance to nirmatrelvir
• Transmissible SARS-CoV-2 variants with resistance to clinical protease inhibitors -
  First-generation vaccines and drugs have helped reduce disease severity and blunt the spread of SARS-CoV-2. However, ongoing virus transmission and evolution and increasing selective pressures have the potential to yield viral variants capable of resisting these interventions. Here, we investigate the susceptibility of natural variants of the main protease (Mpro/3CLpro) of SARS-CoV-2 to protease inhibitors. Multiple single amino acid changes in Mpro confer resistance to nirmatrelvir (the active component of Paxlovid). An additional inhibitor in clinical development, ensitrelvir, shows a different resistance mutation profile. Importantly, phylogenetic analyses indicate that nirmatrelvir-resisting variants have pre-existed the introduction of this drug into the human population and are capable of spreading. A similarly strong argument can be made for ensitrelvir. These results caution against broad administration of protease inhibitors as stand-alone therapies and encourage the development of additional protease inhibitors and other antiviral drugs with different mechanisms of action and resistance profiles.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Transmissible SARS-CoV-2 variants with resistance to clinical protease inhibitors
• Virological characteristics of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2.75 -
  SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2.75 emerged in May 2022. BA.2.75 is a BA.2 descendant but is phylogenetically different from BA.5, the currently predominant BA.2 descendant. Here, we showed that the effective reproduction number of BA.2.75 is greater than that of BA.5. While the sensitivity of BA.2.75 to vaccination- and BA.1/2 breakthrough infection-induced humoral immunity was comparable to that of BA.2, the immunogenicity of BA.2.75 was different from that of BA.2 and BA.5. Three clinically-available antiviral drugs were effective against BA.2.75. BA.2.75 spike exhibited a profound higher affinity to human ACE2 than BA.2 and BA.5 spikes. The fusogenicity, growth efficiency in human alveolar epithelial cells, and intrinsic pathogenicity in hamsters of BA.2.75 were comparable to those of BA.5 but were greater than those of BA.2. Our multiscale investigations suggest that BA.2.75 acquired virological properties independently of BA.5, and the potential risk of BA.2.75 to global health is greater than that of BA.5.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Virological characteristics of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2.75
• The Defenders of the Alveolus Succumb in COVID-19 Pneumonia to SARS-CoV-2, Necroptosis, Pyroptosis and Panoptosis -
  The alveolar type II (ATII) pneumocyte has been called the defender of the alveolus because, amongst the cell’s many important roles, repair of lung injury is particularly critical. We investigated the extent to which SARS-CoV-2 infection incapacitates the ATII reparative response in fatal COVID-19 pneumonia, and describe massive infection and destruction of ATI and ATII cells. We show that both type I interferon-negative infected ATII and type I-interferon-positive uninfected ATII cells succumb to TNF-induced necroptosis, BTK-induced pyroptosis and a new PANoptotic hybrid form of inflammatory cell death that combines apoptosis, necroptosis and pyroptosis in the same cell. We locate pathway components of these cell death pathways in a PANoptosomal latticework that mediates emptying and disruption of ATII cells and destruction of cells in blood vessels associated with microthrombi. Early antiviral treatment combined with inhibitors of TNF and BTK could preserve ATII cell populations to restore lung function and reduce hyperinflammation from necroptosis, pyroptosis and panoptosis.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: The Defenders of the Alveolus Succumb in COVID-19 Pneumonia to SARS-CoV-2, Necroptosis, Pyroptosis and Panoptosis
• Human immune and gut microbial parameters associated with inter-individual variations in COVID-19 mRNA vaccine-induced immunity -
  COVID-19 mRNA vaccines induce protective adaptive immunity against SARS-CoV-2 in most individuals, but there is wide variation in levels of vaccine-induced antibody and T-cell responses. However, factors associated with this inter-individual variation remain unclear. Here, using a systems biology approach based on multi-omics analyses of human blood and stool samples, we find that baseline expression of AP-1 transcription factors, FOS and ATF3, is inversely correlated with BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine-induced T-cell responses. FOS expression is associated with transcription modules related to baseline immunity, but it is negatively associated with those related to T-cell activation upon BNT162b2 mRNA stimulation. Interestingly, the gut microbial fucose/rhamnose degradation pathway is positively correlated with FOS and ATF3 expression and inversely correlated with BNT162b2-induced T-cell responses. Taken together, these results demonstrate that baseline expression of AP-1 genes, which is associated with the gut microbial fucose/rhamnose degradation pathway, is a key negative correlate of BNT162b2-induced T-cell responses.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Human immune and gut microbial parameters associated with inter-individual variations in COVID-19 mRNA vaccine-induced immunity
• Evolutionary progression of collective mutations in Omicron sub-lineages towards efficient RBD-hACE2: allosteric communications between and within viral and human proteins -
  The interaction between the Spike (S) protein of SARS-CoV-2 and the human angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) is essential for infection, and is a target for neutralizing antibodies. Consequently, selection of mutations in the S protein is expected to be driven by the impact on the interaction with hACE2 and antibody escape. Here, for the first time, we systematically characterized the collective effects of mutations in each of the Omicron sub-lineages (BA.1, BA.2, BA.3 and BA.4) on both the viral S protein receptor binding domain (RBD) and the hACE2 protein using post molecular dynamics studies and dynamic residue network (DRN) analysis. Our analysis suggested that Omicron sub-lineage mutations result in altered physicochemical properties that change conformational flexibility compared to the reference structure, and may contribute to antibody escape. We also observed changes in the hACE2 substrate binding groove in some sub-lineages. Notably, we identified unique allosteric communication paths in the reference protein complex formed by the DRN metrics betweenness centrality and eigencentrality hubs, originating from the RBD core traversing the receptor binding motif of the S protein and the N-terminal domain of the hACE2 to the active site. We showed allosteric changes in residue network paths in both the RBD and hACE2 proteins due to Omicron sub-lineage mutations. Taken together, these data suggest progressive evolution of the Omicron S protein RBD in sub-lineages towards a more efficient interaction with the hACE2 receptor which may account for the increased transmissibility of Omicron variants.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Evolutionary progression of collective mutations in Omicron sub-lineages towards efficient RBD-hACE2: allosteric communications between and within viral and human proteins
• Can Artificial Intelligence Detect Monkeypox from Digital Skin Images? -
  An outbreak of Monkeypox has been reported in 75 countries so far, and it is spreading in fast pace around the world. The clinical attributes of Monkeypox resemble those of Smallpox, while skin lesions and rashes of Monkeypox often resemble those of other poxes, for example, Chickenpox and Cowpox. These similarities make Monkeypox detection challenging for healthcare professionals by examining the visual appearance of lesions and rashes. Additionally, there is a knowledge gap among healthcare professionals due to the rarity of Monkeypox before the current outbreak. Motivated by the success of artificial intelligence (AI) in COVID-19 detection, the scientific community has shown an increasing interest in using AI in Monkeypox detection from digital skin images. However, the lack of Monkeypox skin image data has been the bottleneck of using AI in Monkeypox detection. Therefore, recently, we introduced the Monkeypox Skin Image Dataset 2022, the largest of its kind so far. In addition, in this paper, we utilize this dataset to study the feasibility of using state-of-the-art AI deep models on skin images for Monkeypox detection. Our study found that deep AI models have great potential in the detection of Monkeypox from digital skin images (precision of 85%). However, achieving a more robust detection power requires larger training samples to train those deep models.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Can Artificial Intelligence Detect Monkeypox from Digital Skin Images?
• Sensory-Processing Sensitivity and COVID-19 Stress in Young Population: The Mediating Role of Resilience -
  Psychologists worldwide are becoming increasingly concerned about the negative impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on adolescents’ mental health. However, compared to studies involving adults, research using a young population is limited. To further understand the mental health of older adolescents and young adults during the pandemic, the present study examined whether resilience, as a protective factor, buffers the relationship between the personality trait of environmental sensitivity and COVID-19-related distress. In total, 441 older adolescents and young adults (53.7% women, Mage = 18.91 years, SDage = 0.82 years) living in urban Japan completed an online cross-sectional survey in October 2020. The results showed that sensitivity was positively, though weakly, correlated with COVID-19 stress and negatively correlated with resilience. Resilience was negatively correlated with COVID-19 stress. Mediation analysis showed that resilience buffered the negative relationship between sensitivity and COVID-19 stress, and its indirect effect was statistically significant, albeit close to zero. These results suggest that higher sensitivity is not necessarily a vulnerability factor, if resilience can be enhanced.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Sensory-Processing Sensitivity and COVID-19 Stress in Young Population: The Mediating Role of Resilience
• Application of neighborhood-scale wastewater-based epidemiology in low COVID-19 incidence situations -

  Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE), an emerging approach for community-wide COVID-19 surveillance, was primarily characterized at large sewersheds such as wastewater treatment plants serving a large population. Although informed public health measures can be better implemented for a small population, WBE for neighborhood-scale sewersheds is less studied and not fully understood. This study applied WBE to seven neighborhood-scale sewersheds (average population of 1,471) from January to November, 2021. Community testing data showed an average of 0.004% incidence rate in these sewersheds (97% of monitoring periods reported two or fewer daily infections). In 92% of sewage samples, SARS-CoV-2 N gene fragments were below the limit of quantification. We statistically determined 10-2.6 as the threshold of the SARS-CoV-2 N gene concentration normalized to pepper mild mottle virus (N/PMMOV) to alert high COVID-19 incidence rate in the studied sewershed. This threshold of N/PMMOV identified neighborhood-scale outbreaks (COVID-19 incidence rate higher than 0.2%) with 82% sensitivity and 51% specificity. Importantly, neighborhood-scale WBE can discern local outbreaks that would not otherwise be identified by city-scale WBE. Our findings suggest that neighborhood-scale WBE is an effective community-wide disease surveillance tool when COVID-19 incidence is maintained at a low level.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Application of neighborhood-scale wastewater-based epidemiology in low COVID-19 incidence situations

From Clinical Trials

• Monitoring the Efficacy of a Probiotic Dietary Supplement SmartProbio C in Patients With Severe COVID-19 Infection - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Dietary Supplement: SmartProbio C;   Dietary Supplement: Placebo
  Sponsors:   Medi Pharma Vision;   Veterinary Research Institute;   Brno University Hospital
  Completed

• Cardiovascular Function and Physical Activity in COVID-19 - Condition:   COVID-19
  Intervention:   Behavioral: Active-at-home-HF
  Sponsor:   Coventry University
  Recruiting

• A Study to Measure the Amount of Study Medicine in Blood in Adult Participants With COVID-19 and Severe Kidney Disease - Condition:   COVID-19
  Intervention:   Drug: PF-07321332 (nirmatrelvir)/ritonavir
  Sponsor:   Pfizer
  Not yet recruiting

• EFFECTS OF INSPIRATORY MUSCLE TRAINING IN POST-COVID-19 PATIENTS - Condition:   Covid19
  Interventions:   Other: TREATMENT GROUP (TG);   Other: CONTROL GROUP (CG)
  Sponsor:   University Vila Velha
  Completed

• Long-term Effects of SARS-CoV-2 on the Central Nervous System and One-year Follow-up of “Long COVID-19” Patients - Condition:   Long Covid19
  Intervention:   Diagnostic Test: Perfusion brain scintigraphy imaging
  Sponsor:   Brugmann University Hospital
  Recruiting

• Physiotherapy in Post COVID-19 Syndrome Patients - Condition:   Post-COVID-19 Syndrome
  Interventions:   Other: Cognitive behavioral principles-based treatment program;   Other: Control intervention
  Sponsor:   Universidad de Granada
  Recruiting

• Rehabilitation for People With Post COVID-19 Syndrome - Condition:   Post-COVID-19 Syndrome
  Interventions:   Other: Multidimensional intervention;   Other: Control intervention
  Sponsor:   Universidad de Granada
  Recruiting

• Active Cycle Of Breathing Technique Verses Breathing Exercises In Post ICU COVID-19 Patients - Condition:   Post Covid-19 Patients
  Interventions:   Other: Chest physiotherapy with breathing exercises and ACBT;   Other: Chest physiotherapy with breathing exercises
  Sponsor:   Riphah International University
  Recruiting

• Effect of Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program on Post Hospitalization Severe COVID- 19 Patients - Condition:   Post COVID-19 Condition
  Intervention:   Combination Product: respiratory exercises - incentive spirometer - walking
  Sponsor:   Fayoum University Hospital
  Completed

• Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy and Increasing COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake Among African American Young Adults in the South - Conditions:   COVID-19;   Vaccine Uptake
  Intervention:   Behavioral: Tough Talks COVID
  Sponsors:   University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill;   University of Alabama at Birmingham;   National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)
  Not yet recruiting

• rSIFN-co Among Healthy Subjects and Subjects With Mild or Asymptomatic COVID-19 - Conditions:   COVID-19;   SARS-CoV-2
  Interventions:   Drug: rSIFN-co Nasal Spray;   Drug: Placebo Nasal Spray
  Sponsor:   Sichuan Huiyang Life Science and Technology Corporation
  Recruiting

• A CHW Intervention to Identify and Decrease Barriers to COVID 19 Testing & Vaccination - Conditions:   Vaccine Hesitancy;   COVID-19 Testing;   Community Health Workers
  Intervention:   Behavioral: Community Health Worker led curriculum
  Sponsors:   Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science;   Los Angeles County Department of Public Health;   National Library of Medicine (NLM)
  Recruiting

• Evaluation of Safety and Immunogenicity of the Recombinant ZR202-CoV and ZR202a-CoV Vaccines in Adults. - Conditions:   SARS-CoV-2 Infection;   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Biological: ZR202-CoV;   Biological: ZR202a-CoV;   Biological: Comirnaty®
  Sponsor:   Shanghai Zerun Biotechnology Co.,Ltd
  Recruiting

• Safety and Immunogenicity Study of a Booster Dose of the Investigational CV0501 mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine in Adults at Least 18 Years Old - Condition:   SARS-CoV-2
  Interventions:   Biological: CV0501 (3 μg);   Biological: CV0501 (6 μg);   Biological: CV0501 (12 μg);   Biological: CV0501 (25 μg);   Biological: CV0501 (50 μg);   Biological: CV0501 (75 μg);   Biological: CV0501 (100 μg);   Biological: CV0501 (150 μg);   Biological: CV0501 (200 μg)
  Sponsor:   GlaxoSmithKline
  Not yet recruiting

• Immunogenicity and Safety of BBIBP-Corv Coadministered With PPV23 and IIV4 in Hemodialysis Population - Conditions:   Hemolysis;   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Biological: coadministration;   Biological: COVID-19 vaccine;   Biological: IIV4+PPV23
  Sponsors:   China National Biotec Group Company Limited;   Hunan Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention;   Sichuan Center for Disease Control and Prevention;   Guizhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention;   Xiangya Hospital of Central South University;   Beijing Institute of Biological Products Co Ltd.;   Chengdu Institute of Biological Products Co.,Ltd.;   Shanghai Institute Of Biological Products
  Not yet recruiting

From PubMed

• Not “My” crisis: Social identity and followers’ crisis responses to COVID-19 - Operationalizing social group identification as political partisanship, we examine followers’ (i.e., US residents’) affective experiences and behavioral responses during the initial COVID-19 outbreak in the United States (March to May 2020). In Study 1, we conducted content analyses on major news outlets’ coverage of COVID-19 (N = 4319) to examine media polarization and how it plays a role in shaping followers’ perceptions of the pandemic and leadership. News outlets trusted by Republicans…

• Oridonin Inhibits SARS-CoV-2 by Targeting Its 3C-Like Protease - Oridonin Inhibits SARS-CoV-2 Oridonin, a natural product extracted from Rabdosia rubescens, possesses a wide range of pharmacological properties, including anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-microbial, neuroprotection, immunoregulation, etc. In article number 2100124, Baisen Zhong, Litao Sun, and co-workers demonstrate that Oridonin targets the SARS-CoV-2 3CL protease by covalently binding to cysteine145 in its active pocket to exert an anti-SARS-CoV-2 effect, which provides a novel candidate…

• ‘In most supermarkets food does not cost £3 per day …’ The impact of the school food voucher scheme during COVID-19 - Households with children eligible for Free School Meals are at risk of food insecurity. This paper reports on a rapid-response study that investigated the impact of the school food voucher scheme during the COVID-19 crisis on young people, families and schools. It pays close attention to the reliance of the state on the goodwill of society and its citizens in feeding those most in need. The Capabilities Approach is used to highlight factors that inhibited and restricted the use of the vouchers…

• Synthesis, crystal structure elucidation, DFT analysis, drug-likeness and ADMET evaluation and molecular docking studies of triazole derivatives: Binary inhibition of spike protein and ACE2 receptor protein of COVID-19 - The recent incidence of terrible acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS CoV-2) has presently experienced some noteworthy mutations since its discovery in 2019 in Wuhan, China. The present research work focuses on the synthesis of three triazole derivatives (BMTPP, BMTTP, and BMTIP) and their inhibition activities against SARS-Cov-2 spike and ACE2 receptor proteins. The crystal structure for BMTTP was determined by the SCXRD method and optimized geometrical parameters for the three…

• The Influence of Vicarious Fear-Learning in “Infecting” Reactive Action Inhibition - Since the dawn of cognitive neuroscience, emotions have been recognized to impact on several executive processes, such as action inhibition. However, the complex interplay between emotional stimuli and action control is not yet fully understood. One way to measure inhibitory control is the stop-signal task (SST), which estimates the ability to cancel outright an action to the presentation of a stop signal by means of the stop-signal reaction times (SSRTs). Impaired as well as facilitated action…

• Human Lung Fibroblasts Exhibit Induced Inflammation Memory via Increased IL6 Gene Expression and Release - Fibroblasts of different origins are known to possess stromal memory after inflammatory episodes. However, there are no studies exploring human lung fibroblast memory which may predict a subsequent inflammatory response in chronic respiratory diseases and COVID-19. MRC-5 and HF19 human lung fibroblast cell lines were treated using different primary and secondary stimulus combinations: TNFα-WD-TNFα, Poly (I:C)-WD-TNFα, TNFα-WD-Poly (I:C), or LPS-WD-TNFα with a 24-h rest period (withdrawal period;…

• Rapid quantitative monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein mediated syncytia formation using split NanoLuc - SARS-CoV-2 infection causes syncytial pneumocyte in patients and this has been considered as a defining feature of severe COVID-19 cases. Traditional methods of syncytia quantification require the morphology characterization of fused cells either with light microscope or fluorescent microscope, which is time-consuming and not accurate. Here we developed a rapid and sensitive coculture system measuring spike-induced syncytia by using NanoLuc complementation system. We found the formation of…

• DOCK2 is involved in the host genetics and biology of severe COVID-19 - Identifying the factors underlying severe COVID-19 in the host genetics is an emerging issue^(1-5). We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) involving 2,393 Japanese COVID-19 cases collected in initial pandemic waves with 3,289 controls, which identified a variant on 5q35 (rs60200309-A) near DOCK2 associated with severe COVID-19 in younger (<65 ages) patients (n(Case)=440, odds ratio=2.01, P=1.2×10^(-8)). This risk allele was prevalent in East Asians but rare in Europeans, showing a…

• Targeting proteases involved in the viral replication of SARS-CoV-2 by sesquiterpene lactones from chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) - SARS-CoV-2 is a highly transmissible and pathogenic coronavirus causing a respiratory disease that emerged in 2019, leading to a public health emergency situation which continues to date. The treatment options are still very limited and vaccines available are less effective against new variants. SARS-CoV-2 enzymes, namely main protease (Mpro) and papain-like protease (PLpro), play a pivotal role in the viral life cycle, making them a putative drug target. Here, we described for the first time…

• Interleukin 6: A biomarker for COVID-19 progression - COVID-19 was discovered in China for the first time in December 2019 and was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020. Due to its rapid geographic expansion over the last three years, it has now become a global health issue. The infection is caused by SARS-CoV-2, which is obtained from a zoonotic source and transmitted directly or through contact. Following exposure, the immune system becomes hyperactive resulting in the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines,…

• Exploring the Potential of Chemical Inhibitors for Targeting Post-translational Glycosylation of Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) - The Spike (S) protein of SARS-CoV-2 expressed on the viral cell surface is of particular importance as it facilitates viral entry into the host cells. The S protein is heavily glycosylated with 22 N-glycosylation sites and a few N-glycosylation sites. During the viral surface protein synthesis via the host ribosomal machinery, glycosylation is an essential step in post-translational modifications (PTMs) and consequently vital for its life cycle, structure, immune evasion, and cell infection….

• The impact of social support and stress on academic burnout among medical students in online learning: The mediating role of resilience - CONCLUSION: The results of this study can provide a reference for the future development of appropriate educational strategies and coping measures to ameliorate the academic burnout of medical students.

• The effect of information-driven resource allocation on the propagation of epidemic with incubation period - In the pandemic of COVID-19, there are exposed individuals who are infected but lack distinct clinical symptoms. In addition, the diffusion of related information drives aware individuals to spontaneously seek resources for protection. The special spreading characteristic and coevolution of different processes may induce unexpected spreading phenomena. Thus we construct a three-layered network framework to explore how information-driven resource allocation affects SEIS…

• Role of the mucin-like glycoprotein FCGBP in mucosal immunity and cancer - IgGFc-binding protein (FCGBP) is a mucin first detected in the intestinal epithelium. It plays an important role in innate mucosal epithelial defense, tumor metastasis, and tumor immunity. FCGBP forms disulfide-linked heterodimers with mucin-2 and members of the trefoil factor family. These formed complexes inhibit bacterial attachment to mucosal surfaces, affect the motility of pathogens, and support their clearance. Altered FCGBP expression levels may be important in the pathologic processes…

• Methylene blue, Mycophenolic acid, Posaconazole, and Niclosamide inhibit SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant BA.1 infection of human airway epithelial organoids - Sublineages of SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) Omicron variants continue to amass mutations in the spike (S) glycoprotein, which leads to immune evasion and rapid spread of the virus across the human population. Here we demonstrate the susceptibility of the Omicron variant BA.1 (B.1.1.529.1) to four repurposable drugs, Methylene blue (MB), Mycophenolic acid (MPA), Posaconazole (POS), and Niclosamide (Niclo) in post-exposure treatments of primary human airway cell…

From Patent Search