Covid-19 Sentry

Contents

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

From Preprints

• Prioritizing Pregnant Women for COVID-19 Vaccination -
  Even though evidence for safety and efficacy is emerging, most countries do not offer vaccination to pregnant women, despite they being at higher risk of complications from COVID-19. We did a web search on policies for COVID-19 vaccination of pregnant women in two sets of countries – those bearing a high burden of COVID-19 cases, and a second set with a high burden of maternal and under five mortality globally. Of the top 20 COVID-19 affected countries, nine allow vaccination of pregnant women, of which two preferentially vaccinate pregnant women. In contrast, four of the 20 high under-five mortality countries allow vaccination of pregnant women, while none has included them in the preferential group. India and Indonesia with one fifth of world’s population fall in both the groups, but do not include pregnant women for COVID-19 vaccination.For COVID-19 not to further aggravate the already heavy burden of maternal and under five mortality, there is a strong case for inclusion of pregnant women as a high priority group for COVID-19 vaccination. We recommend including COVID-19 vaccination in the routine protocol for antenatal care in all countries, particularly India and Indonesia in view of their high dual burden.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Prioritizing Pregnant Women for COVID-19 Vaccination
• To Clot or Not to Clot? Ad is the Question - Insights on Mechanisms Related to Vaccine Induced Thrombotic Thrombocytopenia -
  Vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT), or thrombotic thrombocytopenic syndrome (TTS), has caused global concern. VITT is characterized by thrombosis and thrombocytopenia following COVID-19 vaccinations with the AstraZeneca ChAdOx1 nCov-19 and the Janssen Ad26.COV2.S vaccines. The clinical features of VITT include thrombosis, typically cerebral venous thrombosis, and severe thrombocytopenia developing 5 to 24 days following first dose of vaccine, with elevated D-dimer, and antibodies specific to platelet factor 4 (PF4), signifying platelet activation. As of June 1, 2021, over 1.93 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses had been administered worldwide. Currently, 467 VITT cases (0.000024%) have been reported across the UK, Europe, Canada and Australia. Clinically, VITT presents similarly to a rare autoimmune condition called “spontaneous/autoimmune heparin Induced Thrombocytopenia” (HIT) without prior heparin exposure. Guidance on diagnosis and management of VITT has been reported but the pathogenic mechanism of VITT is not fully elucidated. A definite causal relationship with the vaccine material is yet to be confirmed. To date, it is established that IgG antibodies recognizing PF4 activate platelets through FcγRIIA, however it remains unclear what triggers production of these antibodies. The fact that VITT, has only been described in association with adenoviral vector-based DNA virus vaccines, but not mRNA/lipid-based vaccines, raises the likelihood that the syndrome is somehow linked to the vector or other constituents in the vaccine preparation. Here, we propose and discuss potential mechanisms in relation to adenovirus induction of VITT. We discuss adenovirus immunogenicity and interactions with platelets and other host proteins, the role of PF4 and platelet activation. Whilst confirming a single mechanism underpinning VITT is challenging, we provide insights and clues into areas warranting investigation into the mechanistic basis of VITT, highlighting the unanswered questions. Further research is required to help solidify a pathogenic model for this condition.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: To Clot or Not to Clot? Ad is the Question - Insights on Mechanisms Related to Vaccine Induced Thrombotic Thrombocytopenia
• The SARS-CoV-2 spike reversibly samples an open-trimer conformation exposing novel epitopes -
  Current COVID-19 vaccines and many clinical diagnostics are based on the structure and function of the SARS-CoV-2 spike ectodomain. Using hydrogen deuterium exchange mass spectrometry, we have uncovered that, in addition to the prefusion structure determined by cryo-EM, this protein adopts an alternative conformation that interconverts slowly with the canonical prefusion structure. This new conformation-an open trimer-contains easily accessible RBDs. It exposes the conserved trimer interface buried in the prefusion conformation, thus exposing potential epitopes for pan- coronavirus antibody and ligand recognition. The population of this state and kinetics of interconversion are modulated by temperature, receptor binding, antibody binding, and sequence variants observed in the natural population. Knowledge of the structure and populations of this conformation will help improve existing diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: The SARS-CoV-2 spike reversibly samples an open-trimer conformation exposing novel epitopes
• Efficacy and safety of Andrographis paniculata extract in patients with mild COVID-19: A randomized controlled trial -

  Objective: To assess the efficacy and safety of Andrographis paniculata extract (APE) in adults with mild COVID-19. Methods: The alcoholic extract of the aerial part of A. paniculata was used. In this randomized, double- blinded, placebo-controlled trial, adults with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19, and mild symptoms were randomized 1:1 to receive APE (60 mg andrographolide, t.i.d, for 5 days) versus placebo, plus standard supportive care. Blood tests for CRP, liver and renal assessment were performed on Days 1, 3, and 5. The outcomes were occurrence of pneumonia detected by chest X-ray, nasopharyngeal SARS-CoV-2 detection by rRT-PCR, changes of CRP levels, and adverse drug reactions. Results: Patients were randomized to receive APE (n=29) or placebo (n=28). Pneumonia occurrence during illness was 0/29 (0%) versus 3/28 (10.7%), (p=0.039); and patients with nasopharyngeal SARS-CoV-2 detection on Day 5 were 10/29 (34.5%) versus 16/28 (57.1%), (p=0.086), for those who received APE and placebo, respectively. All three patients with pneumonia had substantially rising serum CRP; and high CRP levels on Day 5. None had evidence of liver or renal impairment. Conclusion: This AP-extract treatment regimen was potentially effective and safe in adults with mild COVID-19. The rising of CRP suggested disease progression. Further studies are needed.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Efficacy and safety of Andrographis paniculata extract in patients with mild COVID-19: A randomized controlled trial
• The role of personality, conspiracy mentality, REBT irrational beliefs, and adult attachment in COVID-19 related health behaviors -
  We investigated irrational beliefs defined in rational-emotive cognitive-behavior therapy (REBT), attachment anxiety and avoidance, and conspiracy mentality as mediators of the relationship between HEXACO and Disintegration traits and COVID-19 health behaviors. Structural equation modeling on a sample of 287 participants, showed that Disintegration (D) was related to all mediating variables, highlighting the importance of D in the emergence of irrational beliefs. Conspiracy mentality mediated the effect of D in low adherence to recommended health behaviors - RHB , negative vaccination behavior, and greater use of pseudoscientific practices - PSP . Attachment anxiety mediated the relationship between high D, high Emotionality (E), and low Honesty (H) and lower adherence to RHB. Higher adherence to RHB predicted positive vaccination behavior, whilst there was no relationship between PSP use and vaccination behavior. REBT irrational beliefs and attachment avoidance were not found to be significant mediators of the relationship between personality traits and COVID-19 health behaviors.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: The role of personality, conspiracy mentality, REBT irrational beliefs, and adult attachment in COVID-19 related health behaviors
• Behavioural Insights and the COVID-19 pandemic -
  Behavioural sciences has complemented medical and epidemiological sciences in the response to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. As vaccination uptake increases across the EU/EEA, and we move from the pandemic to an endemic phase, behavioural science research will remain important for both pandemic policy and communication. From a behavioural science perspective, the following four areas are key in the next stage of the pandemic response: 1) Attaining and maintaining high levels of vaccination in all groups in society, including in socially vulnerable populations, 2) Ensuring continued adherence to basic prevention measures, at least until sufficient people in all groups in society have been well-informed and vaccinated, 3) Promoting and supporting safe travelling and holidays, and 4) Facilitating population preparedness and willingness to support and adhere to the reimposition of restrictions locally or regionally whenever outbreaks may occur. Based on mixed-methods research, expert consultations and engagement with communities, behavioural scientists advising on pandemic policies and communication thus have important contributions to make to prevent and effectively respond to local or regional outbreaks, and to minimize socio-economic and health disparities. In this Perspective we briefly outline these topics from a European perspective, while recognizing the importance of considering the specific context in individual countries.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Behavioural Insights and the COVID-19 pandemic
• The Effect of Face Masks on Forensic Face Matching: An Individual Differences Study -
  In the forensic face matching task, observers are presented with two unfamiliar faces and must determine whether they depict the same identity. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, some governmental authorities require the use of face masks in public spaces. However, face masks impair face identification by disrupting holistic processing of faces. The present study explores the effect of face masks on forensic face matching. Compared to a full-view condition, performance decreased when a face mask was superimposed on one face (Experiment 1) and both faces (Experiment 2) of a pair. Although a positive correlation between the full-view and the mask conditions was found, high proficiency in the full-view condition did not always generalize to the mask condition. Additionally, the mask generally has a more negative impact in those participants with better performance in the full-view condition. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: The Effect of Face Masks on Forensic Face Matching: An Individual Differences Study
• The Relations of Social Support and Social Connectedness to Well-being during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cross-cultural generalizability across 49 countries -
  Physical distancing has proven effective in preventing the spread of the COVID-19, yet decreasing social interactions may be harmful to well-being. The current study investigated the protective roles of social support and social connectedness on well-being during the pandemic in many countries. Specifically, we examined how the changes of social connectedness toward different social ties (i.e., family, friends, colleagues, and neighbors) as indirect effects to explain the relationship between social support and well-being, using survey data from 16,685 individuals from 49 countries. Results from multilevel structural equation modeling showed that i) social support was positively related to well-being, ii) people who felt increased social connectedness to family, friends, colleagues, and neighbors were likely to experience better well-being than those who did not feel more connected during the COVID-19, iii) changes of connectedness to family, friends, colleagues and neighbors could serve as indirect effects between social support and well-being; the indirect effects from family and friends were more potent than colleagues and neighbors, and iv) the indirect effects were similar across all countries. Our findings highlighted the benefits of social support and social connectedness to well-being during the pandemic.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: The Relations of Social Support and Social Connectedness to Well- being during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cross-cultural generalizability across 49 countries
• The sensitivity improved two-test algorithm “SIT2”: a universal optimization strategy for SARSAQ-CoV-2 serology -

  Background Reliable antibody tests are an essential tool to identify individuals who have developed an adaptive immune response to SARS-CoV-2. However, attempts to maximize the specificity of SARS-CoV-2 antibody tests have come at the cost of sensitivity, exacerbating the total test error with increasing seroprevalence. Here, we present a novel method to maximize specificity while maintaining or even increasing sensitivity: the “Sensitivity Improved Two-Test” or “SIT²” algorithm. Methods SIT² involves confirmatory re-testing of samples with results falling in a predefined retesting-zone of an initial screening test, with adjusted cut-offs to increase sensitivity. We verified and compared the performance of SIT² to single tests and orthogonal testing (OTA) in an Austrian cohort (1,117 negative, 64 post-COVID positive samples) and validated the algorithm in an independent British cohort (976 negatives, 536 positives). Results The specificity of SIT² was superior to single tests and non-inferior to OTA. The sensitivity was maintained or even improved using SIT² when compared to single tests or OTA. SIT² allowed correct identification of infected individuals even when a live virus neutralization assay could not detect antibodies. Compared to single testing or OTA, SIT² significantly reduced total test errors to 0.46% (0.24-0.65) or 1.60% (0.94-2.38) at both 5% or 20% seroprevalence. Conclusion SIT² proved to be the best diagnostic choice at both 5% and 20% seroprevalence in all tested scenarios. It is an easy algorithm to apply to different available SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing systems and can potentially be helpful for the serology of other infectious diseases.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: The sensitivity improved two-test algorithm “SIT2”: a universal optimization strategy for SARSAQ-CoV-2 serology
• The Role of CRP, Interleukin-6 and Their Derived Immune-Inflammatory Indices in Early Prediction of Severity and Mortality of COVID-19 Patients -

  Background: In coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), finding sensitive biomarkers is critical for detecting severe cases early and intervening effectively. Objectives: To compare and evaluate the prognostic value of C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and their derived immune-inflammatory indices (CRP/albumin (CRP/alb), lymphocyte/CRP (L/CRP), and lymphocyte/IL-6 (L/IL-6)) in COVID-19 patients. Methods: On admission, 85 confirmed COVID-19 patients9 measured and collected laboratory data were obtained and compared. Results: Levels of CRP, IL-6 and CRP/alb were significantly higher (P=0.001) in severe patients and in non-survivors, but L/CRP and L/IL-6 were significantly lower (P=0.001). The best predictive performance for COVID-19 severity was observed at 1.65 for CRP/alb and 260.86 for L/CRP with 84.7% diagnostic accuracy for both. The best diagnostic accuracy for COVID-19 in-hospital mortality was 87.1% by IL-6 at 120 pg/ml and 85.9% by L/IL-6 at 5.40. The performance of the combined prediction was better than the single prediction by one biomarker. IL-6 was an independent risk factor associated with severe disease development (odds ratio (OR): 1.033; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.002-1.066). Conclusions: Pretreatment values of CRP, IL-6 and their derived indices could be included in the diagnostic work-up of COVID-19 to stratify disease severity and predict outcomes.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: The Role of CRP, Interleukin-6 and Their Derived Immune-Inflammatory Indices in Early Prediction of Severity and Mortality of COVID-19 Patients
• The Clinical Utility of Serial Procalcitonin and Procalcitonin Clearance in Predicting the Outcome of COVID-19 Patients -

  Background: The pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) represents a great threat to global health. Sensitive tests that effectively predict the disease outcome are essentially required to guide proper intervention. Objectives: To evaluate the prognostic ability of serial procalcitonin (PCT) measurement to predict the outcome of COVID-19 patients, using PCT clearance (PCT-c) as a tool to reflect its dynamic changes. Methods: A prospective observational study of inpatients diagnosed with COVID-19 at the Quarantine Hospitals of Ain-Shams University, Cairo, Egypt. During the first five days of hospitalization, serial PCT and PCT-c values were obtained and compared between survivors and non-survivors. Patients were followed up to hospital discharge or in-hospital mortality. Results: Compared to survivors, serial PCT levels of non-survivors were significantly higher (p<0.001) and progressively increased during follow-up, in contrast, PCT-c values were significantly lower (p<0.01) and progressively decreased. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that by using the initial PCT value alone, at a cut off value of 0.80 ng/ml, the area under the curve for predicting in-hospital mortality was 0.81 with 61.1% sensitivity and 87.3% accuracy. Serial measurements showed better predictive performance and the combined prediction value was better than the single prediction by the initial PCT. Conclusions: Serial PCT measurement could be a useful laboratory tool to predict the prognosis and outcome of COVID-19 patients. Moreover, PCT-c could be a reliable tool to assess PCT progressive kinetics.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: The Clinical Utility of Serial Procalcitonin and Procalcitonin Clearance in Predicting the Outcome of COVID-19 Patients
• Markers of immune activation and inflammation in individuals with post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection -

  BACKGROUND: The biological processes associated with post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC) are unknown. METHODS: We measured soluble markers of inflammation in a SARS-CoV-2 recovery cohort at early (<90 days) and late (>90 days) timepoints. We defined PASC as the presence of one or more COVID-19-attributed symptoms beyond 90 days. We compared fold-changes in marker values between those with and without PASC using mixed effects models with terms for PASC and early and late recovery time periods. RESULTS: During early recovery, those who went on to develop PASC generally had higher levels of cytokine biomarkers including TNF-alpha (1.14-fold higher mean ratio, 95%CI 1.01-1.28, p=0.028) and IP-10 (1.28-fold higher mean ratio, 95%CI 1.01-1.62, p=0.038). Among those with PASC, there was a trend toward higher IL-6 levels during early recovery (1.28-fold higher mean ratio, 95%CI 0.98-1.70, p=0.07) which became more pronounced in late recovery (1.44-fold higher mean ratio, 95%CI: 1.11-1.86, p<0.001). These differences were more pronounced among those with a greater number of PASC symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Persistent immune activation may be associated with ongoing symptoms following COVID-19. Further characterization of these processes might identify therapeutic targets for those experiencing PASC.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Markers of immune activation and inflammation in individuals with post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection
• Protective Immunity against COVID-19 -
  Tuberculosis and Covid-19 infection measure two quite different diseases- TB is caused by a sort of bacterium whereas Covid-19 is caused by a virus. However, the BCG immunizing agent would possibly facilitate individuals build immune responses to things aside from TB, inflicting “off-target effects,” In different words, in run format, individuals started learning positive in obtaining the immunizing agent that had nothing to try and do with TB, several studies showed however the BCG immunizing agent affects individuals with kind one although the precise mechanism for these off-target effects of the BCG immunizing agent is not clear, it’s believed that the immunizing agent will cause a nonspecific boost of the reaction. There is presently no immunizing agent or treatments approved by the United States of America Food and Drug Administration for the novel coronavirus. BCG is usually innocuous with the most facet impact the event of inflammation at the positioning of injection. Supported by these observations BCG so emerges as a possible candidate for the development of innate and adjustive reactions which can be non-specifically taking care of mycobacterium and different infectious agents against that vaccine remains not on the market.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Protective Immunity against COVID-19
• Simplified point-of-care full SARS-CoV-2 genome sequencing using nanopore technology -

  Background: The scale of the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic warrants the urgent establishment a global decentralized surveillance and warning system to recognize local outbreaks and the emergence of novel variants-of- concern. Among the available deep-sequencing technologies, nanopore-sequencing could be an important cornerstone, since it is mobile, scalable and acquisition investments are comparably low. Therefore, streamlined and efficient nanopore- sequencing protocols need to be developed and optimized for SARS-CoV-2 variants identification, in particular for smaller hospital laboratories with lower throughput. Results: We adapted and simplified existing workflows using the midnight 1,200 bp amplicon split primer sets for PCR, which produce tiled overlapping amplicons covering almost all of the SARS-CoV-2 genome. Subsequently, we applied the Oxford Nanopore Rapid barcoding protocol and the portable MinION Mk1C sequencer in combination with the ARTIC bioinformatics pipeline. We tested the simplified and less time- consuming workflow on confirmed SARS-CoV-2-positive specimens from clinical routine and identified pre-analytical parameters, which may help to decrease the rate of sequencing failures. Duration of the complete pipeline was approx. 7 hrs for one specimen and approx. 11 hrs for 12 multiplexed barcoded specimens. Conclusions: The adapted protocol contains less processing steps. Diagnostic CT values are the principal criteria for specimen selection. Subsequent to diagnostic qRT-PCR, multiplex library preparation, quality controls, nanopore sequencing and the bioinformatic pipeline can be completely conducted within one working-day.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Simplified point-of-care full SARS-CoV-2 genome sequencing using nanopore technology
• Using big data analytics to explore the relationship between government stringency and preventative social behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom -

  We evaluated the association between preventative social behaviour and government stringency. Additionally, we sought to evaluate the influence of additional factors including time, need to protect others (using the reported number of COVID-19 deaths as a surrogate measure) and reported confidence in government handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. We used repeated national cross-sectional surveys the UK over the course of 41 weeks from 1st April 2020 to January 28th, 2021, including a total of 38,092 participants. Preventative social behaviour and government stringency index scores were significantly associated on linear regression analyses (R2 =0.6468, p<0.001, and remained significant after controlling for the effect of reported COVID-19 deaths, confidence in government handling of the pandemic, and time (R2=0.898, p<0.001). Longitudinal data suggest that government stringency is an effective tool in promoting preventative social behaviour in the fight against COVID-19.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Using big data analytics to explore the relationship between government stringency and preventative social behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom

From Clinical Trials

• Phase 1 Study to Assess Safety, Tolerability, PD, PK, Immunogenicity of IV NTR-441 Solution in Healthy Volunteers and COVID-19 Patients - Condition:   Covid19
  Interventions:   Drug: NTR-441;   Drug: Placebo
  Sponsor:  
  Neutrolis
  Recruiting

• COVID-19 Vaccinations With a Sweepstakes - Condition:   Covid19
  Intervention:   Behavioral: Philly Vax Sweepstakes
  Sponsors:  
  University of Pennsylvania;   Philadelphia Department of Public Health
  Active, not recruiting

• Covid-19 Virtual Recovery Study - Condition:   Covid19
  Interventions:   Behavioral: Strength RMT;   Behavioral: Strength RMT and nasal breathing;   Behavioral: Endurance RMT;   Behavioral: Endurance RMT and nasal breathing;   Behavioral: Low dose RMT
  Sponsor:   Mayo Clinic
  Not yet recruiting

• A Study to Evaluate MVC-COV1901 Vaccine Against COVID-19 in Adolescents - Condition:   Covid19 Vaccine
  Interventions:   Biological: MVC-COV1901(S protein with adjuvant);   Biological: MVC-COV1901(Saline)
  Sponsor:   Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp.
  Not yet recruiting

• Study on Sequential Immunization of Inactivated COVID-19 Vaccine and Recombinant COVID-19 Vaccine (Ad5 Vector) - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Biological: Recombinant SARS-CoV-2 Ad5 vectored vaccine;   Biological: Inactive SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (Vero cell)
  Sponsors:   Jiangsu Province Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;   CanSino Biologics Inc.
  Not yet recruiting

• Efficacy of Amantadine Treatment in COVID-19 Patients - Condition:   Patients With Moderate or Severe COVID-19
  Intervention:   Drug: Amantadine
  Sponsors:   Noblewell;   Medical Research Agency (ABM);   Leszek Giec Upper-Silesian Medical Centre of the Silesian Medical University in Katowice
  Recruiting

• Covid-19 Patients Management During Home Isolation - Condition:   Covid19
  Interventions:   Procedure: Oxygen therapy and physical therapy;   Device: Oxygen therapy
  Sponsor:   Cairo University
  Recruiting

• A Different Use of The Aerosol Box in COVID-19 Patients; Internal Jugular Vein Cannulation - Condition:   COVID-19 Pneumonia
  Intervention:   Procedure: Internal jugular vein cannulation
  Sponsor:   Bakirkoy Dr. Sadi Konuk Research and Training Hospital
  Completed

• Remdesivir- Ivermectin Combination Therapy in Severe Covid-19 - Condition:   Covid19
  Intervention:   Drug: Ivermectin
  Sponsor:   Assiut University
  Not yet recruiting

• Short Term, High Dose Vitamin D Supplementation in Moderate to Severe COVID-19 Disease - Condition:   Covid19
  Intervention:   Drug: cholecalciferol 6 lakh IU
  Sponsor:  
  Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research
  Not yet recruiting

• Immunogenicity and Safety of an Inactivated COVID-19 Vaccine - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Biological: Inactivated COVID-19 Vaccine;   Biological: 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine;   Biological: Inactivated Hepatitis A Vaccine
  Sponsor:  
  Sinovac Research and Development Co., Ltd.
  Not yet recruiting

• The Role of Chlorhexidine in Minimizing the Viral Load Among COVID-19 Patients - Condition:   COVID-19
  Intervention:   Drug: Chlorhexidine digluconate, povidone iodine
  Sponsor:   King Abdulaziz University
  Not yet recruiting

• Phase 1 Intranasal Parainfluenza Virus Type 5-SARS CoV-2 S Vaccine in Healthy Adults - Condition:   Covid19
  Interventions:   Biological: CVXGA1 low dose;   Biological: CVXGA1 high dose
  Sponsor:   CyanVac LLC
  Not yet recruiting

• “CHANGE COVID-19 Severity” - Condition:   COVID-19 Infection
  Intervention:   Drug: Magnesium Citrate plus probiotic
  Sponsor:   Vanderbilt University Medical Center
  Recruiting

• Efficacy, Immunogenicity, and Safety of the Inactivated COVID-19 Vaccine (TURKOVAC) Versus the CoronaVac Vaccine - Condition:   Covid19
  Interventions:   Biological: TURCOVAC;   Biological: CoronaVac
  Sponsor:   Health Institutes of Turkey
  Recruiting

From PubMed

• Catalytic Dyad Residues His41 and Cys145 Impact the Catalytic Activity and Overall Conformational Fold of the Main SARS-CoV-2 Protease 3-Chymotrypsin-Like Protease - Coronaviruses are responsible for multiple pandemics and millions of deaths globally, including the current pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Development of antivirals against coronaviruses, including the severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) responsible for COVID-19, is essential for containing the current and future coronavirus outbreaks. SARS-CoV-2 proteases represent important targets for the development of antivirals because of their role in the…

• Pulmonary Covid Fibrosis a New Pharmaceutic Approach - CONCLUSIONS: This study proposes to inhibit phosphodiesterase by vasodilatation of the pulmonary vascular bed and the MUC1 over expression by interleukin6, the Sildenafil with the SGLT2 and N-Acetylcysteine.

• Review of the potential of mesenchymal stem cells for the treatment of infectious diseases - The therapeutic value of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for the treatment of infectious diseases and the repair of disease-induced tissue damage has been explored extensively. MSCs inhibit inflammation, reduce pathogen load and tissue damage encountered during infectious diseases through the secretion of antimicrobial factors for pathogen clearance and they phagocytose certain bacteria themselves. MSCs dampen tissue damage during infection by downregulating the levels of pro-inflammatory…

• RIG-I-Like Receptor-Mediated Recognition of Viral Genomic RNA of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 and Viral Escape From the Host Innate Immune Responses - RIG-I-like receptors (RLR), RIG-I and MDA5, are cytoplasmic viral RNA sensors that recognize viral double-stranded RNAs and trigger signals to induce antiviral responses, including type I interferon production. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) caused the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. However, the RLR role in innate immune response to SARS-CoV-2 has not been fully elucidated. Here, we studied the roles of RLR in cytokine expression responding to SARS-CoV-2 and…

• Interleukin-1- Receptor Kinase 4 Inhibition: Achieving Immunomodulatory Synergy to Mitigate the Impact of COVID-19 - No abstract

• Case Report: Adult Post-COVID-19 Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome and Thrombotic Microangiopathy - CONCLUSION: Our case suggests that that TMA could play a central role in the pathophysiology of post-COVID-19 MIS-A, making complement blockers an interesting therapeutic option.

• The MERS-CoV N Protein Regulates Host Cytokinesis and Protein Translation via Interaction With EF1A - Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), a pathogen causing severe respiratory disease in humans that emerged in June 2012, is a novel beta coronavirus similar to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV). In this study, immunoprecipitation and proximity ligation assays revealed that the nucleocapsid (N) protein of MERS-CoV interacted with human translation elongation factor 1A (EF1A), an essential component of the translation system with important roles in protein…

• Novel piperazine based compounds as potential inhibitors for SARS-CoV-2 Protease Enzyme: Synthesis and molecular docking study - Structurally diverse piperazine-based compounds hybrid with thiadiazole, isatin or with sulfur/nitrogen, functionalities were synthesized. The structures of the new compounds were established based on their spectral data and elemental analysis. The physicochemical, bioactivity scores and pharmacokinetic behavior of all the prepared ligands were evaluated using in silico computational tools. The new piperazine ligands have been screened for their inhibition activity against SARS-CoV-2 protease…

• High-throughput analysis of the interactions between viral proteins and host cell RNAs - RNA-protein interactions of a virus play a major role in the replication of RNA viruses. The replication and transcription of these viruses take place in the cytoplasm of the host cell; hence, there is a probability for the host RNA-viral protein and viral RNA-host protein interactions. The current study applies a high-throughput computational approach, including feature extraction and machine learning methods, to predict the affinity of protein sequences of ten viruses to three categories of…

• Molnupiravir inhibits the replication of the emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VoCs) in a hamster infection model - The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VoCs) has exacerbated the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently available monoclonal antibodies and vaccines appear to have reduced efficacy against some of these VoCs. Antivirals targeting conserved proteins of SARS-CoV-2 are unlikely to be affected by mutations arising in VoCs, and should therefore be effective against emerging variants. We here investigate the efficacy of Molnupiravir, currently in phase II clinical trials, in hamsters infected with…

• In silico investigation on the inhibitory effect of fungal secondary metabolites on RNA dependent RNA polymerase of SARS-CoV-II: A docking and molecular dynamic simulation study - The newly emerged Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) rapidly outspread worldwide and now is one of the biggest infectious pandemics in human society. In this study, the inhibitory potential of 99 secondary metabolites obtained from endophytic fungi was investigated against the new coronavirus RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) using computational methods. A sequence of blind and targeted molecular dockings was performed to predict the more potent compounds on the viral enzyme. In the next…

• Plitidepsin for the management of a cancer patient infected with SARS-CoV-2 while receiving chemotherapy - Plitidepsin is a cyclic peptide that inhibits the host protein elongation factor alpha 1, thus blocking viral replication. A hospitalized patient with stage IIIB gastric signet ring cell carcinoma and multiple comorbidities developed Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) shortly after receiving his first chemotherapy course. He was treated with plitidepsin on a compassionate use basis. The patient showed a substantial acute reduction in viral load 4 days after initiating plitidepsin treatment and was…

• MPI8 is Potent Against SARS-CoV-2 by Inhibiting Dually and Selectively the SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease and the Host Cathepsin L - A number of inhibitors have been developed for the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (MPro) as potential COVID-19 medications but little is known about their selectivity. Using enzymatic assays, we characterized inhibition of TMPRSS2, furin, and cathepsins B/K/L by more than a dozen of previously developed MPro inhibitors including MPI1-9, GC376, 11a, 10-1, 10-2, and 10-3. MPI1-9, GC376 and 11a all contain an aldehyde for the formation of a reversible covalent hemiacetal adduct with the MPro active site…

• Peptidomimetic alpha-Acyloxymethylketone Warheads with Six-Membered Lactam P1 Glutamine Mimic: SARS-CoV-2 3CL Protease Inhibition, Coronavirus Antiviral Activity, and in Vitro Biological Stability - Recurring coronavirus outbreaks, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic, establish a necessity to develop direct-acting antivirals that can be readily administered and are active against a broad spectrum of coronaviruses. Described in this Article are novel α-acyloxymethylketone warhead peptidomimetic compounds with a six-membered lactam glutamine mimic in P1. Compounds with potent SARS-CoV-2 3CL protease and in vitro viral replication inhibition were identified with low cytotoxicity and good…

• Poor humoral and T-cell response to two-dose SARS-CoV-2 messenger RNA vaccine BNT162b2 in cardiothoracic transplant recipients - CONCLUSIONS: The findings of poor immune responses to a two-dose BNT162b2 vaccination in cardiothoracic transplant patients have a significant impact for organ transplant recipients specifically and possibly for immunocompromised patients in general. It urges for a review of future vaccine strategies in these patients.

From Patent Search

• Advanced Machine Learning System combating COVID-19 virus Detection, Spread, Prevention and Medical Assistance. - - link

• Differential detection kit for common SARS-CoV-2 variants in COVID-19 patients - - link

• SARS-CoV-2 anti-viral therapeutic - - link

• A POLYHERBAL ALCOHOL FREE FORMULATION FOR ORAL CAVITY - The present invention generally relates to a herbal composition. Specifically, the present invention relates to a polyherbal alcohol free composition comprising of Glycyrrhiza glabra root extract, Ocimum sanctum leaf extract, Elettaria cardamomum fruit extract, Mentha spicata (Spearmint) oil and Tween 80 and method of preparation thereof. The polyherbal alcohol free composition of the present invention possesses excellent antimicrobial properties and useful for oral cavity. - link

• 新型冠状病毒B.1.351南非突变株RBD的基因及其应用 - 本发明属于生物技术领域，具体涉及新型冠状病毒B.1.351南非突变株RBD的基因及其应用。本发明的新型冠状病毒B.1.351南非突变株RBD的基因，其核苷酸序列如SEQIDNO.1或SEQIDNO.6所示。本发明通过优化野生型新型冠状病毒南非B.1.351南非突变株RBD的基因序列，并结合筛选确定了相对最佳序列，优化后序列产生的克隆表达效率比野生型新型冠状病毒B.1.351南非突变株RBD序列表达效率大幅提高，从而，本发明的新型冠状病毒B.1.351南非突变株RBD的基因可以用于制备新型冠状病毒疫苗。 - link

• 检测新型冠状病毒中和抗体的试剂盒及其应用 - 本发明涉及生物技术领域，具体而言，提供了一种检测新型冠状病毒中和抗体的试剂盒及其应用。本发明提供的检测新型冠状病毒中和抗体试剂盒，具体包括（a）或（b）两种方案：（a）示踪物标记的RBD三聚体抗原，包被在固体支持物上的ACE2，以及，含有0.2‑10mg/mL十二烷基二甲基甜菜碱的工作液；（b）示踪物标记的ACE2，包被在固体支持物上的RBD三聚体抗原，以及，含有0.2‑10mg/mL十二烷基二甲基甜菜碱的工作液；其中，RBD三聚体抗原利用二硫键将刺突蛋白的RBD与S2亚基完全交联得到。十二烷基二甲基甜菜碱会显著提高RBD三聚体抗原与新冠中和性抗体结合速度，提升阳性样本平均发光强度，缩短检测时间。 - link

• 一种检测SARS-CoV-2的引物组合物及其应用 - 本发明涉及一种检测SARS‑CoV‑2的引物组合物及其应用。所述引物组合物包括SEQ ID NO:1~SEQ ID NO:12所示的核酸序列。本发明利用所述引物组合物进行逆转录巢式PCR，并结合Sanger测序，能够快速、准确地获取SARS‑CoV‑2基因信息，从而能够实现快速检测SARS‑CoV‑2以及判断SARS‑CoV‑2突变株，且具备良好的准确性、灵敏度、特异性以及重复性。 - link

• 一种新冠病毒肺炎重症化预测系统及方法 - 本发明涉及疾病预测技术领域，公开了一种新冠病毒肺炎重症化预测系统及方法，包括以下步骤：步骤一，采集患者血常规信息和用户信息；步骤二，将患者血常规信息按照用户信息进行等级分类；步骤三，将已经等级分类的患者血常规信息与对应等级的标准信息进行比较；步骤四，当患者血常规信息在标准信息范围内则判定患者为轻症患者，当患者血常规信息在标准信息范围外则判定患者为重症患者。本发明能够准确快速地区分轻症和重症。 - link

• MEDIDOR DE SATURACION - - link

• 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