Covid-19 Sentry

Contents

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

From Preprints

• ‘’Emerging from the Lockdown: Insights from Women Domestic Workers’ Lives in Delhi’’ -
  Using a mixed-methods approach of telephone survey and in-depth interviews with stakeholders and women workers, this study aims to assess the impact that the pandemic and the subsequent lockdown had on women domestic workers and map the way their situation changed once the lockdown was lifted. It finds that the lockdown had a severe impact on work and income, with almost 80% of the respondents stating that they experienced job loss during that period. The study also highlights that even when the lockdown was lifted, workers were not able to return to work immediately due to fear of disease among their employers. For those who were able to get back to work, there was a significant decline in the number of houses where they were able to get employment compared to the number of houses where they used to work prior to the pandemic. The study also highlights the new Covid-19 norms that workers now have to follow when they go for work and argues that the paid work situation for these workers remains far from what it used to be before the lockdown was imposed. In terms of unpaid work, the report finds that workers now bear an increased burden in both inside household work as well as caring for young children. They were found to be under extreme stress due to the financial crisis that they were suffering and were also found to be struggling with accessing essential goods and services including, food, water, fuel, children’s education and healthcare services for diseases other than Covid-19. The study recommends that as immediate measures domestic workers should be provided with free ration kits until their paid work situation stabilises. It also recommends that the government must fast-track the registration of domestic workers to the Unorganized Workers Social Security Board as well as bring out a minimum wage notification for the workers to ensure that they are protected from social and economic vulnerabilities.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: ‘’Emerging from the Lockdown: Insights from Women Domestic Workers’ Lives in Delhi’’
• ‘’Emerging from the Lockdown: Insights from Women Street Vendors’ Lives in Delhi’’ -
  By using a mixed-method approach, the study aims to understand the socio-economic impact of the lockdown and post-lockdown on the lives of women street vendors in Delhi. The results indicated that although restrictions have been eased in the post-lockdown phase, many women street vendors have lost the means to work and witnessed a significant fall in income/ earnings. Despite the loss in employment opportunities, many of them were not able to shift to alternative employment opportunities and continued with the same street-vending activities. The closure of market or vending areas and fear over the spread of COVID-19 have kept many customers away and thereby their income decreased significantly over the past six months. They also suffered an increase in inside household domestic work like cooking, cleaning and child care, in which they were helped mainly by female members of the house, particularly daughters or daughters-in-law. Among the other challenges were procuring essential food items in times of shortages, increased prices and rent payments. Many of them resorted to negative coping strategies such as taking out loans from moneylenders at a high-interest rate, which led them into a debt trap. Almost all the street vendors replied that the credit facility announced both by the central and state governments to achieve self-reliance is hardly beneficial because they are not in a position to repay the loan unless and until they can restart the business. So, it is highly recommended that the government should convert the credit facility into a direct income benefit as livelihood support. The government should also acknowledge the role played by street vending in alleviating urban poverty and malnutrition and ensure their right to vending with dignity and prevent them from falling prey to large-scale retail capitalism and penetration of the online market.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: ‘’Emerging from the Lockdown: Insights from Women Street Vendors’ Lives in Delhi’’
• ‘’Emerging from the Lockdown: Insights from Women Waste Workers’ Lives in Delhi’’ -
  Using a mixed-method approach of telephonic surveys and in-depth interviews with key informants and women workers, this study aims to assess the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown has had on women waste workers and map the way their circumstances changed once the lockdown was lifted. It highlights that the lockdown has had a severe impact on work and income with more than 90% of the respondents stating that they experienced loss of employment during this period. The study also highlights that even after the lockdown was lifted, the workers have not been able to return to work immediately. This is because most godowns where they were employed before the pandemic remain closed even post-lockdown. The lack of waste to segregate has also contributed to the lack of employment. Workers stated that they find it difficult to collect waste, and even when they can, the lack of space for segregation has caused further challenges. They are also getting paid much lesser by godown owners than they were prior to the lockdown, and additionally, have had to sell their segregated material at significantly reduced rates. Even in terms of unpaid work, the report finds that the burden of household work and childcare has increased significantly. This poses a problem for women workers in terms of managing paid work. Women waste workers are struggling with accessing essential goods and services, including food, water, fuel, rent and children’s education. This study recommends that as an immediate measure, waste workers should be provided with free ration kits until their employment situation stabilizes. It also suggests that the government fast track their registration as workers and create a tripartite board so that they have access to some social and economic protections through social welfare schemes. Along with this, it recommends that the government fix a standardized rate for the material that women waste workers segregate, and most importantly, give the workers a right over the waste they collect so that they do not remain vulnerable to exploitation.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: ‘’Emerging from the Lockdown: Insights from Women Waste Workers’ Lives in Delhi’’
• Providing the Ichushi-Web Bibliographies to WHO COVID-19 Research Database: Corona-related information service during pandemic disasters. -
  Three years after we began living through an unprecedented infectious disease epidemic at the end of 2019, our world is still heavily affected by the novel coronavirus. Compared to the beginning of the epidemic, when there was no information at all, researchers and health care workers around the world have been sharing information and examining the characteristics of this virus and infection prevention and treatment measures in order to respond to this situation. Preprints are also being used as the fastest route for information distribution, and research information on novel coronaviruses, in particular, is circulating at an explosive volume and speed. New tools such as the LitCovid, the iSearch COVID-19 portfolio, and the WHO COVID-19 Research Database(WHO COVID-19 RDB), which collect and provide information specific to novel coronavirus infection, have also appeared. This article introduces the activities of providing the Ichushi-Web bibliographies to the WHO COVID-19 RDB and what I realized from these experiences, as well as an overview of this database.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Providing the Ichushi-Web Bibliographies to WHO COVID-19 Research Database: Corona-related information service during pandemic disasters.
• Financial factors influencing environmental, social and governance ratings of public listed companies in Bursa Malaysia -
  Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) ratings are widely recognised methods to assess the sustainability practices of corporations. However, the scores of these ratings are not satisfactory in emerging market economies. This study examines the financial factors that influence ESG ratings regarding public listed companies on the FTSE4 Good Bursa Malaysia Index (F4GBM Index). This paper uses static and dynamic Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) techniques to analyse the data of 31 public listed companies on the F4GBM Index and reported full ESG ratings data for the period 2007-2016. To utilise the maximum number of observations by avoiding the missing data and outlier due to COVID-19, this study applied the sample data up to 2016. Using the two-step system dynamic GMM estimator, such results indicate that highly profitable Malaysian companies enjoy a higher score for ESG overall ratings as well as all three individual ratings. Poorer credit management diminishes the environmental ratings, yet increases overall scores such as the social and governance scores. Companies with higher leverage have a weaker social, governance and overall score, but a higher environmental rating. Finally, companies eliciting a higher sustainable growth rate have weak governance and overall scores. This study provides empirical evidence that will be useful to capital market investors, management teams of these companies and policymakers in their efforts to promote responsible investment in Malaysian public listed companies in line with UN-PRI policy.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Financial factors influencing environmental, social and governance ratings of public listed companies in Bursa Malaysia
• Impacts of COVID-19 Pandemic on National Security Issues: Indonesia as a Case Study -
  The national security issues in particular non-traditional security issues such as law enforcement, health, food, supply chain management, industry etc. are severely impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak in all countries of the world. As such, the developing country like Indonesia has largely been suffering from this epidemic. In this context, this paper attempts to analyse some national security issues that are affecting Indonesia, which is currently struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic. Proposed here are policy measures to combat both present and future challenges. The study uses secondary data collected from different sources concerning COVID-19 pandemic and security issues of Indonesia. The study analyses the data based on descriptive statistics, highlighting the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Indonesian law enforcement issues, and security of health, food, supply chain management, industrial and other economic sectors. The study argues that if the vulnerability continues in these security-related issues due to pandemic, the country will face a harsh reality to manage the state-affairs. Therefore, the policy options are mainly concerned with the COVID-19 issue. Indonesia’s government should identify what measures to take by conducting rapid diagnostics (RPD) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests in the laboratory, respectively. Moreover, the government and relevant stakeholders need to develop strategies that break the stranglehold of COVID-19 transmission in order to resolve Indonesian national security concern.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Impacts of COVID-19 Pandemic on National Security Issues: Indonesia as a Case Study
• Climate change and COVID-19: shared challenges, divergent perspectives, and proposed collaborative solutions -
  Pandemics leave their mark quickly. This is true for all pandemics, including COVID-19. Its multifarious presence has wreaked havoc on people’s physical, economic, and social life since late 2019. Despite the need for social science to save lives, it is also critical to ensure future generations are protected. COVID-19 appeared as the world grappled with the epidemic of climate change. This study suggests policymakers and practitioners address climate change and COVID-19 together. This article offers a narrative review of both pandemics’ impacts. Scopus and Web of Science were sought databases. The findings are reported analytically using important works of contemporary social theorists. The analysis focuses on three interconnected themes: technology advancements have harmed vulnerable people; pandemics have macro- and micro-dimensions; and structural disparities. To conclude, we believe that collaborative effort is the key to combating COVID-19 and climate change, while understanding the lessons learnt from the industrialised world. Finally, policymakers can decrease the impact of global catastrophes by addressing many socioeconomic concerns concurrently.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Climate change and COVID-19: shared challenges, divergent perspectives, and proposed collaborative solutions
• Antibacterial Effect of Oral Care Gel-Containing Hinokitiol and 4-isopropyl-3-methylphenol Against Intraoral Pathogenic Microorganisms -
  Objective: Deterioration of oral hygiene is closely related to increase severity and mortality of corona virus disease-19 (COVID-19), and also contribute to the development of various diseases such as aspiration pneumonia or Alzheimers. Oral care is attracting high interest in Japan, which has entered a super-aging society. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether commercially available Hinora(R) (HO) that oral care gels-containing hinokitiol and 4-isopropyl-3-methylphenol (IPMP) have biofilm formation inhibitory and antibacterial activities against various intraoral pathogen microorganisms. Method: Candida spp., Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were selected during the study period, all which were analyzed using antimicrobial disc, microorganism turbidity, and crystal violet assays. In addition, the germ tube test using C. albicans was performed with a modification of Mackenzies method. Images for morphological observation of the germ tubes were acquired with an inverted microscope. For comparison between products, we used Refrecare(R) (RC), which contains only hinokitiol (not containing IPMP). Results: All the intraoral pathogenic microorganisms showed drug susceptibility against undiluted form HO and/or RC. In particular, HO was more effective at lower concentrations than RC. In the HO-added group, inhibition circles were observed in all bacteria except P. aeruginosa when added at a concentration of 0.5 g/mL or more. The optical density values at 590 nm (crystal violet) and/or 600 nm (microorganism turbidity) of all the fungi and bacteria were significantly lower when cultured in medium with HO. Inhibition of growth or biofilm formation was observed when HO was added at a concentration of 0.05 g/mL or higher. To investigate the action mechanism of HO, germ tube tests were performed in C. albicans. The results show that culturing C. albicans in soyabean-casein digest broth with HO (0.05 g/mL) significantly suppressed germ tube formation. Conclusions: These data suggest that oral care gel-containing hinokitiol and IPMP has strong biofilm formation inhibitory, antifungal and antibacterial effects against Candida fungi and multiple intraoral pathogenic microorganisms. Therefore, it may be a promising treatment option for oral infections.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Antibacterial Effect of Oral Care Gel-Containing Hinokitiol and 4-isopropyl-3-methylphenol Against Intraoral Pathogenic Microorganisms
• Forecasting the trajectory of the COVID-19 pandemic into 2023 under plausible variant and intervention scenarios: a global modelling study -

  Background The recent Omicron-related waves of the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in unprecedented levels of population transmission due to the variant9s high level of infectiousness across most of the world. China, the last large country to end its “zero-COVID” policies, is currently facing its own massive Omicron-related wave, and the final impact of that wave remains uncertain. We have seen repeatedly that the epidemiological characteristics of new variants can have profound impacts on global health outcomes. While the characteristics of these new variants are difficult to predict ahead of their emergence, considering the impact of potential future scenarios is of central importance for prudent planning and policy making. This paper samples across a range of potential variant-level characteristics to provide global forecasts of infections, hospitalisations, and deaths in the face of ongoing Omicron-related transmission and waning levels of past immunity and evaluates a range of interventions that may diminish the impact of future waves. Methods We created a susceptible-exposed-infectious dynamic model that accounts for vaccine uptake and effectiveness, antiviral administration, the emergence of new variants, and waning protection from both infection- and vaccine-derived immunity. Using this model, we first estimated past infections, hospitalisations, and deaths by variant, location, and day. We used these findings to more fully understand the global progression of the COVID-19 pandemic through December 12, 2022. Second, we forecasted these same outcome measures under five potential variant emergence scenarios. Third, we evaluated three different interventions in isolation and in concert within each potential variant scenario, to assess the impact of available intervention strategies through June 30, 2023. Findings We estimated that from November 15, 2021, through December 12, 2022, there were 8.60 billion (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 6.37-11.7) SARS-CoV-2 infections, 13.1 million (10.6-16.5) hospitalisations, and 3.04 million (2.65-3.55) deaths, the majority of which were attributable to Omicron variants (98.5% [97.4-99.1] of infections, 82.6% [76.7-86.3] of hospitalisations, and 72.4% [66.4-76.0] of deaths). Compared to the pre-Omicron pandemic period from January 1, 2020, to November 15, 2021, we estimated that there were more than twice as many infections (214% [163-286]) globally from November 15, 2021, to December 12, 2022, but only 20.6% (19.8-21.4) of the estimated deaths. The massive Omicron waves and high vaccination rates in many high-income countries have together contributed to high levels of immunity against SARS-CoV-2 infection, leaving only 97.3% (96.3-98.2) of the global population with no protection as of December 1, 2022. Concurrently, however, China, where only 17.6% [5.28-34.8] of the population have ever experienced infection due to its zero-COVID policy, requires special attention over the next few months, as all our future scenarios predict substantial increases in transmission, hospitalisation, and death in China in now that zero-COVID policies have been relaxed. Under the future scenario we consider most plausible (a scenario with another new Omicron-like variant emerging and reference levels of the drivers of transmission), we estimated there will be an additional 5.19 billion (3.11-7.78) infections, 13.6 million (8.50-21.8) hospitalisations, and 2.74 million (1.40-5.68) deaths between December 12, 2022, and June 30, 2023, with the Western Pacific region projected to sustain the highest rates of additional deaths, driven primarily by the uncontained outbreak in China. By comparison, a baseline scenario in which no new variant emerges results in 3.54 billion (2.24-5.43) infections, 6.26 million (4.11-9.65) hospitalisations, and 1.58 million (0.829-3.95) deaths in the same forecast period. The ability for a new variant to break through past infection- and vaccine-derived immunity greatly influences future outcomes: we estimate a new variant with the high severity of Delta, but correspondingly moderate immunity breakthrough rates will have difficulty overtaking current variants and will result in similar outcomes to the Omicron-like variant scenario with 3.64 billion (2.26-5.83) new infections, 7.87 million (4.81-13.0) new hospitalisations, and 2.87 million (1.03-5.56) new deaths. Finally, if we consider a variant that combines the high infectiousness and breakthrough rates of Omicron with the high severity of Delta, we again estimate 5.19 billion (3.11-7.78) new infections, but due to the presumed increase in severe outcomes, we estimate 30.2 million (13.4-51.2) new hospitalisations and 15.9 million (4.31-35.9) deaths over the forecasted period. The impacts of interventions vary by variant characteristics and region of the world, with increased mask usage and reimplementation of some mandates having massive impact in some regions while having less impact in others. Finally, assuming variant spread was as rapid as observed for Omicron, we find almost no impact of a rapidly developed and deployed variant-targeted booster. Interpretation As infection-derived and vaccine-conferred protection wanes, we expect infections to rise, but as most of the world9s population has some level of immunity to SARS-CoV-2 as of December 12, 2022, all but the most pessimistic forecasts in this analysis do not predict a massive global surge by June 30, 2023. Paradoxically, China, due to its lower levels of population immunity and effective vaccination will likely experience substantial numbers of infections and deaths that, due to its large population size, will adversely affect the global toll. This could be substantially mitigated by existing intervention options including masking, vaccination, health-care preparedness, and effective antiviral compounds for those at most at risk of poor outcomes. While still resulting in morbidity and mortality, this endemic transmission provides protection from less transmissible variants and particularly protects against sub-lineages of the more severe pre-Omicron variants. In the scenarios where a new variant does emerge and spread globally, however, the speed of this spread may be too fast to rely on even the most quickly developed mRNA vaccines to provide protection soon enough. Existing vaccines and boosters have played an important role in increasing immunity worldwide, but the continued contribution of mask usage (both past and future) in the prevention of infection and death cannot be understated. The characteristics of future COVID-19 variants are inherently difficult to predict, and our forecasts do show considerable differences in outcomes as a function of these variant properties. Given the uncertainty surrounding what type of variant will next emerge, the world would be wise to remain vigilant in 2023 as we move to the next phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Forecasting the trajectory of the COVID-19 pandemic into 2023 under plausible variant and intervention scenarios: a global modelling study
• The impact of public-initiated COVID-19 risk communication on individual NPI practices -

  Background Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions (NPI) are the most widely recognized public health measures practiced globally to prevent the spread of Covid-19 transmission. The effectiveness of NPIs is dependent on the type, a combination of applied interventions, and the level of compliance of the NPIs. The expected outcome of behavioral practices varies relative to the behavioral intervention duration. Objectives This study aimed to assess the trend of community compliance to NPIs and with its level of variation with the place of residence and sociodemographic characteristics of people. Methods A weekly non-participatory field survey on an individual’s NPI practice was observed from October 2020 to July 2021, for a total of 39 weeks. The survey covered all the regions; 14 regional and capital cities. Data collection for the 3 NPI behaviors (mask use, hand hygiene, and physical distance was and managed weekly at eight public service locations using the Open Data Kit (ODK) tool. Results More than 180,000 individuals were observed for their NPI practice; on average 5,000 observations in a week.  About 43% of the observation was made from Addis Ababa, 56% were male participants and the middle age group (18-50 years) accounts for 75%. The overall level of NPI compliance had a peak around the 26th – 30th weeks then decline the rest of the weeks. Respiratory hygiene had the highest compliance whereas hand hygiene had the least 41% and 4%, respectively. There was a significant difference between capital city and regional city residents by their level of NPI compliance. Females comply more than males, and individuals had increased NPI compliance while at the bank service and workplaces compared to while in the transport services at p<0.001.  Conclusion The overall community compliance with NPI practice showed a declining trend in Ethiopia but increased compliance was also observed following the implementation of government-initiated public measures. Therefore, public-initiated risk communication and public advocacy programs for the prevention of Covid-19 should be strengthened.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: The impact of public-initiated COVID-19 risk communication on individual NPI practices
• Myocardial Infarction across COVID-19 Pandemic Phases: Insights from the Veterans Health Affairs System -

  Background Cardiovascular procedural treatments were deferred at scale during the COVID-19 pandemic, with unclear impact on patients presenting with Non-ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction (NSTEMI). Methods In a retrospective cohort study of all patients diagnosed with NSTEMI in the U.S. Veterans Affairs Healthcare System from 1/1/19 to 10/30/22 (n=67,125), procedural treatments and outcomes were compared between the pre-pandemic period and six unique pandemic phases (1: Acute phase, 2: Community spread, 3: First Peak, 4: Post-Vaccine, 5. Second Peak, 6. Recovery). Multivariable regression analysis was performed to assess association between pandemic phases and 30-day mortality. Results NSTEMI volumes dropped significantly with the pandemic onset (62.7% of pre-pandemic peak) and did not revert to pre-pandemic levels in subsequent phases, even after vaccine availability. Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and/or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) volumes declined proportionally. Compared to the pre-pandemic period, NSTEMI patients experienced higher 30-day mortality during Phase 2 and 3, even after adjustment for COVID-19 positive status, demographics, baseline comorbidities, and receipt of procedural treatment (adjusted OR for Phase 2-3 combined: 1.26 [95% CI 1.13-1.43], p<0.01). Patients receiving VA-paid community care had a higher adjusted risk of 30-day mortality compared to those at VA hospitals across all six pandemic phases. Conclusions Higher mortality after NSTEMI occurred during the initial spread and first peak of the pandemic, but resolved before the second, higher peak - suggesting effective adaptation of care delivery but a costly delay to implementation. Investigation into the vulnerabilities of the early pandemic spread are vital to informing future resource-constrained practices.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Myocardial Infarction across COVID-19 Pandemic Phases: Insights from the Veterans Health Affairs System
• Society for the Improvement of Psychological Science Global Engagement Task Force Report -
  The Society for the Improvement of Psychological Science (SIPS) is an organization whose mission focuses on bringing together scholars who want to improve methods and practices in psychological science. The organization reaffirmed in June 2020 that “[we] cannot do good science without diverse voices,” and acknowledged that “right now the demographics of SIPS are unrepresentative of the field of psychology, which is in turn unrepresentative of the global population. We have work to do when it comes to better supporting Black scholars and other underrepresented minorities.” The purpose of the Global Engagement Task Force, started in January 2020, was to explore suggestions made after the 2019 Annual Conference, held in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, around inclusion and access for scholars from regions outside of the United States, Canada, and Western Europe (described in the report as “geographically diverse” regions), a task complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic and civil unrest in several task force members’ countries of residence. This report outlines several suggestions, specifically around building partnerships with geographically diverse open science organizations; increasing SIPS presence at other, more local events; diversifying remote events; considering geographically diverse annual conference locations; improving membership and financial resources; and surveying open science practitioners from geographically diverse regions.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Society for the Improvement of Psychological Science Global Engagement Task Force Report
• Trends in Antibody Titers after SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination - Insights from a Self-Paid Tests at a General Internal Medicine Clinic -

  Background The rise in antibody titers against the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), and its duration is considered an important indicator for confirming the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine, and self-paid tests of antibody titer are conducted at many facilities nationwide. Methods The relationship between the number of days after the second and third dose of vaccines, age, and antibody titer was determined from the medical records of general internal medicine clinics that conducted self-paid testing of SARS-CoV-2 antibody titer using Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 S (Roche Diagnostics), as well as the relationship between the number of days after two or more dose of vaccines and antibody titer. We also examined antibody titers in cases of spontaneous infection with SARS-CoV-2 after two or more doses of the vaccine. Results Age and antibody titer were negatively correlated in 86 subjects whose antibody titer was measured within 1 month after the second vaccination with the COVID-19 vaccine. In 31 subjects whose antibody titer was measured within one month after the third dose of vaccine, age and antibody titer showed a negative correlation (p<0.01). The mean antibody titer after the third vaccination was 20704.9U/mL, more than 10 times the mean antibody titer after the second dose of vaccine of 1601.9U/mL. There were also cases of infection after the third or fourth dose of vaccine, with antibody titers in the tens of thousands after infection, but they still received further booster vaccinations after infection. Discussion SARS-CoV-2 antibody titers measured within 1 month of the second or third dose of vaccine showed a negative correlation with age, and antibody titers also showed a negative correlation trend with the number of days after the second dose of vaccine. It is considered that many people in Japan received further booster vaccinations after spontaneous infection, even though they already had antibody titers in the tens of thousands U/mL by hybrid immunity after spontaneous infection following two or more dose of vaccine. Conclusion After measuring SARS-CoV-2 antibody titers, booster vaccination of those with low antibody titers should be done on a priority basis.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Trends in Antibody Titers after SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination - Insights from a Self-Paid Tests at a General Internal Medicine Clinic
• Oral SARS-CoV-2 host responses predict the early COVID-19 disease course -

  Objectives: Oral fluids provide ready detection of Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and host responses. This study sought to determine relationships between oral virus, oral anti-SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies, and symptoms. Methods: Saliva/throat wash (saliva/TW) were collected from asymptomatic and symptomatic, nasopharyngeal (NP) SARS-CoV-2 RT-qPCR+, subjects (n=47). SARS-CoV-2 RT-qPCR, N-antigen detection by immunoblot and lateral flow assay (LFA) were performed. RT-qPCR targeting viral subgenomic RNA (sgRNA) was sequence confirmed. SARS-CoV-2-anti-S protein RBD LFA assessed IgM and IgG responses. Structural analysis identified host salivary molecules analogous to SARS-CoV-2-N-antigen. Statistical analyses were performed. Results: At baseline, LFA-detected N-antigen was immunoblot-confirmed in 82% of TW. However, only 3/17 were saliva/TW qPCR+. Sixty percent of saliva and 83% of TW demonstrated persistent N-antigen at 4 weeks. N-antigen LFA signal in three negative subjects suggested potential cross-detection of 4 structurally analogous salivary RNA binding proteins (alignment 19-29aa, RMSD 1-1.5 Angstroms). At entry, symptomatic subjects demonstrated replication-associated sgRNA junctions, were IgG+ (94%/100% in saliva/TW), and IgM+ (75%/63%). At 4 weeks, SARS-CoV-2 IgG (100%/83%) and IgM (80%/67%) persisted. Oral IgG correlated 100% with NP+PCR status. Cough and fatigue severity (p=0.0008 and 0.016), and presence of nausea, weakness, and composite upper respiratory symptoms (p=0.005, 0.037 and 0.017) were negatively associated with oral IgM. Female oral IgM levels were higher than male (p=0.056). Conclusion: Important to transmission and disease course, oral viral replication and persistence showed clear relationships with select symptoms, early Ig responses, and gender during early infection. N-antigen cross-reactivity may reflect mimicry of structurally analogous host proteins.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Oral SARS-CoV-2 host responses predict the early COVID-19 disease course
• An Explainable Host Genetic Severity Predictor Model for COVID-19 Patients -

  Understanding the COVID-19 severity and why it differs significantly among patients is a thing of concern to the scientific community. The major contribution of this study arises from the use of a voting ensemble host genetic severity predictor (HGSP) model we developed by combining several state-of-the-art machine learning algorithms (decision tree-based models: Random Forest and XGBoost classifiers). These models were trained using a genetic Whole Exome Sequencing (WES) dataset and clinical covariates (age and gender) formulated from a 5-fold stratified cross-validation computational strategy to randomly split the dataset to overcome model instability. Our study validated the HGSP model based on the 18 features (i.e., 16 identified candidate genetic variants and 2 covariates). We provided post-hoc model explanations through the ExplainerDashboard - an open-source python library framework, allowing for deeper insight into the prediction results. We applied the Enrichr and OpenTarget genetics bioinformatic interactive tools to associate the genetic variants for plausible biological insights, and domain interpretations such as pathways, ontologies, and disease/drugs. Through an unsupervised clustering of the SHAP feature importance values, we visualized the complex genetic mechanisms. Our findings show that while age and gender mainly influence COVID-19 severity, a specific group of patients experiences severity due to complex genetic interactions.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: An Explainable Host Genetic Severity Predictor Model for COVID-19 Patients

From Clinical Trials

• Effect of Selected Types of Breathing Exercises on Different Outcome Measures in Covid-19 Patients - Condition:   COVID-19
  Intervention:   Other: breathing exercise
  Sponsor:   Basma Mosaad Abd-elrahman Abushady
  Completed

• A Phase 3 Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of QLS1128 Orally in Symptomatic Participants With Mild to Moderate COVID-19 - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Drug: QLS1128;   Drug: Placebo
  Sponsor:   Qilu Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
  Not yet recruiting

• Application and Research of Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Alleviating Severe Development of COVID-19 Infection - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Biological: Umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells implantation;   Other: Comparator
  Sponsor:   Hebei Medical University
  Recruiting

• Immunogenicity and Reactogenicity of the Beta-variant Recombinant Protein Booster Vaccine (VidPrevtyn Beta, Sanofi) Compared to a Bivalent mRNA Vaccine (Comirnaty Original/Omicron BA.4-5, BioNTech-Pfizer) in Adults Previously Vaccinated With at Least 3 Doses of COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine - Conditions:   Vaccine Reaction;   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Biological: Comirnaty® BNT162b2 /Omicron BA.4-5 vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech);   Biological: VidPrevtyn® Beta vaccine (Sanofi/GSK)
  Sponsors:   Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris;   IREIVAC/COVIREIVAC Network
  Not yet recruiting

• Study of WPV01 Compared With Placebo in Patients With Mild/Moderate COVID-19 Infection - Condition:   COVID-19 Infection
  Interventions:   Drug: WPV01;   Drug: Placebo
  Sponsor:   Westlake Pharmaceuticals (Hangzhou) Co., Ltd.
  Not yet recruiting

• ARVAC-A New Recombinant Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) - Condition:   COVID-19 Vaccine
  Interventions:   Biological: Gamma Variant RBD-based ARVAC-CG vaccine;   Biological: Omicron Variant RBD-based ARVAC-CG vaccine;   Biological: Bivalent RBD-based ARVAC-CG vaccine;   Other: Placebo
  Sponsors:   Mónica Edith Lombardo;   Universidad Nacional de San Martín (UNSAM);   National Council of Scientific and Technical Research, Argentina;   Laboratorio Pablo Cassará S.R.L.
  Recruiting

• A Study of HH-120 Nasal Spray in Close Contacts of Those Diagnosed With COVID-19 - Conditions:   COVID-19;   SARS-CoV-2 Infection
  Intervention:   Drug: HH-120 Nasal Spray
  Sponsor:   Beijing Ditan Hospital
  Completed

• Oxygen Atomizing Inhalation of EGCG in the Treatment COVID-19 Pneumonia in Cancer Patients - Conditions:   COVID-19 Pneumonia;   Neoplasms Malignant
  Interventions:   Drug: EGCG;   Drug: Placebo
  Sponsor:   Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute
  Recruiting

• The Use of Photobiomodulation in the Treatment of Oral Complaints of Long COVID-19.A Randomized Controlled Trial. - Conditions:   Xerostomia;   COVID-19;   Long COVID;   Persistent COVID-19
  Interventions:   Combination Product: Institutional standard treatment for xerostomia and Long Covid;   Radiation: Photobiomodulation Therapy;   Radiation: Placebo Photobiomodulation Therapy
  Sponsor:   University of Nove de Julho
  Recruiting

• A Phase 1/2 Study to Assess the Safety and Immunogenicity of JCXH-221, an mRNA-based Broadly Protective COVID-19 Vaccine - Conditions:   COVID-19;   Infectious Disease
  Interventions:   Biological: JCXH-221;   Biological: Active Comparator;   Other: Placebo
  Sponsors:   Immorna Biotherapeutics, Inc.;   ICON plc
  Not yet recruiting

• Acupuncture for Post COVID-19 Fatigue - Conditions:   Acupuncture;   Post COVID-19 Condition;   Fatigue
  Interventions:   Device: Acupuncture;   Device: Sham Acupuncture
  Sponsor:   Guang’anmen Hospital of China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences
  Not yet recruiting

• Evaluation of Telemedicine Practices for Contraceptive Counseling During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Randomized Controlled Trial - Conditions:   Family Planning Services;   Telemedicine;   Pregnant Women;   Women’s Health;   COVID-19 Pandemic
  Intervention:   Behavioral: Video call sessions
  Sponsor:   Fenerbahce University
  Completed

• Clinical and Imaging Biomarkers Associated With Plasma ad Cellular Determinants of Cardiovascular Disease at the Time of COVID 19 - Condition:   Cardiovascular Diseases
  Intervention:   Other: sample blood
  Sponsor:   Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS
  Active, not recruiting

• Lactoferrin for COVID-19-Induced Taste or Smell Abnormality - Conditions:   Covid19;   Taste Disorder, Secondary;   Taste Disorders;   Dysgeusia;   Smell Disorder;   Ageusia;   Anosmia
  Intervention:   Dietary Supplement: Lactoferrin
  Sponsor:   Wake Forest University Health Sciences
  Withdrawn

• tDCS in Post-COVID Syndrome: Comparison of Two Targets - Conditions:   COVID-19;   Post-COVID-19 Syndrome;   Post COVID-19 Condition
  Intervention:   Device: transcranial current direct stimulation
  Sponsor:   Hospital San Carlos, Madrid
  Recruiting

From PubMed

• In vitro and in silico evaluation of antiretrovirals against SARS-CoV-2: A drug repurposing approach - CONCLUSION: Lamivudine, emtricitabine and raltegravir showed in vitro antiviral effects against the D614G strain of SARS-CoV-2. Raltegravir was the compound with the greatest in vitro antiviral potential at low concentrations, and it showed the highest binding affinities with crucial SARS-CoV-2 proteins during the viral replication cycle. However, further studies on the therapeutic utility of raltegravir in patients with COVID-19 are required.

• SARS-CoV-2 Omicron XBB subvariants exhibit enhanced fusogenicity and substantial immune evasion in elderly population, but high sensitivity to pan-coronavirus fusion inhibitors - Numerous emerging SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariants have shown significant immune evasion capacity and caused a large number of infections, as well as vaccine-breakthrough infections, especially in elderly populations. Recently emerged Omicron XBB was derived from the BA.2 lineage, but bears a distinct mutant profile in its spike (S) protein. In this study, we found that Omicron XBB S protein drove more efficient membrane-fusion kinetics on human lung-derived cells (Calu-3). Considering the high…

• Reactive oxygen species are associated with the inhibitory effect of N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-retinamide on the entry of the severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 - N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-retinamide (4-HPR) inhibits the dihydroceramide Δ4-desaturase 1 (DEGS1) enzymatic activity. We previously reported that 4-HPR suppresses the severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein-mediated membrane fusion through a decrease in membrane fluidity in a DEGS1-independent manner. However, the precise mechanism underlying the inhibition of viral entry by 4-HPR remains unclear. In this study, we examined the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS)…

• Autophagy is induced by swine acute diarrhea syndrome coronavirus through the cellular IRE1-JNK-Beclin 1 signaling pathway after an interaction of viral membrane-associated papain-like protease and GRP78 - Autophagy plays an important role in the infectious processes of diverse pathogens. For instance, cellular autophagy could be harnessed by viruses to facilitate replication. However, it is still uncertain about the interplay of autophagy and swine acute diarrhea syndrome coronavirus (SADS-CoV) in cells. In this study, we reported that SADS-CoV infection could induce a complete autophagy process both in vitro and in vivo, and an inhibition of autophagy significantly decreased SADS-CoV production,…

• Erratum to “Targeting SARS-CoV-2 by synthetic dual-acting thiol compounds that inhibit Spike/ACE2 interaction and viral protein production” - No abstract

• Incremental innovation in healthcare in Spain during the COVID-19 pandemic - CONCLUSIONS: In general, incremental innovations require less investment and shorter technology maturation times, which had made it possible to respond, in some cases successfully, to situations of initial shortages of many medical devices, such as ventilators and protective equipment.

• Bioinspired Antimicrobial PLA with Nanocones on the Surface for Rapid Deactivation of Omicron SARS-CoV-2 - Bioinspired bactericidal surfaces are artificial surfaces that mimic the nanotopography of insect wings and are capable of inhibiting microbial growth by a physicomechanical mechanism. The scientific community has considered them an alternative method to design polymers with surfaces that inhibit bacterial biofilm formation, suitable for self-disinfectant medical devices. In this contribution, poly(lactic acid) (PLA) with nanocone patterns was successfully produced by a novel two-step procedure…

• Inhibitory activity of a sulfated oligo-porphyran from Pyropia yezoensis against SARS-CoV-2 - COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 has spread around the world at an unprecedented rate. A more homogeneous oligo-porphyran with mean molecular weight of 2.1 kD, named OP145, was separated from Pyropia yezoensis. NMR analysis showed OP145 was mainly composed of →3)-β-d-Gal-(1 → 4)-α-l-Gal (6S) repeating units with few replacement of 3,6-anhydride, and the molar ratio was 1:0.85:0.11. MALDI-TOF MS revealed OP145 contained mainly tetrasulfate-oligogalactan with Dp range from 4 to 10 and with no more…

• The diverse role of heparan sulfate and other GAGs in SARS-CoV-2 infections and therapeutics - In December 2019, the global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic began in Wuhan, China. COVID-19 is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which infects host cells primarily through the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor. In addition to ACE2, several studies have shown the importance of heparan sulfate (HS) on the host cell surface as a co-receptor for SARS-CoV-2-binding. This insight has driven research into antiviral therapies, aimed…

• Work-related experiences of consultant psychiatrists during the COVID-19 response: qualitative analysis - CONCLUSIONS: The challenges of leading mental health services were evident in the increased complexity involved in caring for vulnerable patients during the pandemic, contributing to uncertainty, loss of control and moral distress among participants. These dynamics worked synergistically with pre-existing system-level failures, eroding capacity to mount an effective response. The longer-term psychological well-being of consultant psychiatrists - as well as the pandemic preparedness of healthcare…

• Vitamin C promotes ACE2 degradation and protects against SARS-CoV-2 infection - ACE2 is a major receptor for cellular entry of SARS-CoV-2. Despite advances in targeting ACE2 to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 binding, strategies to flexibly and sufficiently reduce ACE2 levels for the prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infection have not been explored. Here, we reveal vitamin C (VitC) administration as a potent strategy to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection. VitC reduces ACE2 protein levels in a dose-dependent manner, while even a partial reduction in ACE2 levels can greatly inhibit SARS-CoV-2…

• Low hanging fruit for combatting SARS-CoV-2? - Entry of SARS-CoV-2 into human respiratory cells, mediated by the spike protein, is absolutely dependent on the cellular receptor ACE2 (angiotensin-converting enzyme-2). This makes ACE2 an attractive target for therapeutic intervention in COVID-19. In this issue, Zuo et al. discover that vitamin C, an essential nutrient and common dietary supplement, can target ACE2 for ubiquitin-dependent degradation, resulting in the inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 infection (Zuo et al, 2023). The study identifies…

• Comparison of Anakinra and Tocilizumab in Anticytokine Therapy in the Treatment of Coronavirus Disease-2019 - CONCLUSION: We observed the positive effects of the use of tocilizumab on clinical improvement in the early period; mechanical ventilation requirement was delayed and at a lower rate. Anakinra treatment did not change mortality and PaO(2)/FiO(2) rates. Mechanical ventilation requirements occurred earlier in the patients who were not receiving any anticytokine therapy. Studies with larger patient populations are needed to demonstrate the potential efficacy of anticytokine therapy.

• Transcriptome and metabolome profiling unveils the mechanisms of naphthalene acetic acid in promoting cordycepin synthesis in Cordyceps militaris - Cordycepin, an important active substance in Cordyceps militaris, possesses antiviral and other beneficial activities. In addition, it has been reported to effectively promote the comprehensive treatment of COVID-19 and thus has become a research hotspot. The addition of naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) is known to significantly improve the yield of cordycepin; however, its related molecular mechanism remains unclear. We conducted a preliminary study on C. militaris with different concentrations of…

• Determining the Optimal SARS-CoV-2 mRNA Vaccine Dosing Interval for Maximum Immunogenicity - CONCLUSION: Increased mRNA vaccine dosing intervals longer than 38 days result in higher levels of anti-spike antibodies and ACE-2 inhibition when assessed six months after the first COVID-19 vaccine.

From Patent Search