Covid-19 Sentry

Contents

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

From Preprints

• Option-based guarantees to accelerate urgent, high risk vaccines: a new market-shaping approach -
  Over the coming year, preventing further waves of COVID-19 and reducing its impact on society will likely require vaccines, so accelerating their availability is critical. However, preparations for large-scale manufacturing, such as building production facilities, are typically delayed until a vaccine is proven safe and effective. This makes sense from a commercial perspective, but the additional time before the vaccine becomes available incurs great costs in terms of lives lost and damage to the economy. There are several potential solutions to reducing the delay between the vaccine being proven effective and its being mass-produced, all of which involve incentives or subsidies to invest in production facilities. We review these, and propose a novel approach using “option-based guarantees,” in which the government commits to paying a proportion of the manufacturer’s preparation costs should the product turn out not to be viable. This counterintuitive approach of payment for failure is appropriate because in the case of success, a company makes money from the product itself, and does not need additional money from the government. This reduces the risk to the company while maintaining an incentive to produce a high-quality product quickly and at scale.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Option-based guarantees to accelerate urgent, high risk vaccines: a new market-shaping approach
• Sex differences in cardio-pulmonary pathology of SARS-CoV2 infected and Trypanosoma cruzi co-infected mice -
  Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2; CoV2) is a deadly contagious infectious disease. For those who survived COVID-19, post-COVID cardiac damage poses a major threat for the progression of cardiomyopathy and heart failure. Currently, the number of COVID-related cases and deaths is increasing in Latin America, where a major COVID comorbidity is Chagas heart disease (caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi). Here, we investigated the effect of T. cruzi infection on the pathogenesis and severity of CoV2 infection and, conversely, the effect of CoV2 infection on heart pathology during coinfection. We used transgenic human angiotensin- converting enzyme 2 (huACE2) mice infected with CoV2, T. cruzi, or coinfected with both in this study. Our study shows for the first time that white adipose tissue (WAT) serves as a reservoir for CoV2 and the persistence of CoV2 in WAT alters adipose tissue morphology and adipocyte physiology. Our data demonstrate a correlation between the loss of fat cells and the pulmonary adipogenic signaling and pathology in CoV2 infection. The viral load in the lungs is inversely proportional to the viral load in WAT, which differs between male and female mice. Our findings also suggest that adiponectin-PPAR signaling may differently regulate Chagas cardiomyopathy in coinfected males and females. We conclude that adipogenic signaling may play important roles in cardio-pulmonary pathogenesis during CoV2 infection and T. cruzi coinfection. The levels of adiponectin isomers differ between male and female mice during CoV2 infection and coinfection with T. cruzi, which may differently regulate inflammation, viral load, and pathology in the lungs of both the sexes. Our findings are in line with other clinical observations that reported that males are more susceptible to COVID-19 than females and suffer greater pulmonary damage.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Sex differences in cardio-pulmonary pathology of SARS-CoV2 infected and Trypanosoma cruzi co-infected mice
• Copper(II) Gluconate Boosts the Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Effect of Disulfiram in Vitro -
  Disulfiram is a 70-year-old anti-alcoholism drug, while copper(II) gluconate (Cu(Glu)2) is a commonly used food additive or copper supplement. Here we disclose that the combination of disulfiram and copper(II) gluconate drastically enhances the anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity at the cellular level as compared to disulfiram or copper(II) gluconate alone. A 1:1 mixture of disulfiram and copper(II) gluconate shows an EC50 value of 154 nM against SARS-CoV-2 at the cellular level, much lower than the 17.45 M reported for disulfiram alone. A preliminary mechanism is proposed to rationalize the observed promotional effect.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Copper(II) Gluconate Boosts the Anti- SARS-CoV-2 Effect of Disulfiram in Vitro
• Genetically diverse mouse models of SARS-CoV-2 infection model clinical variation and cytokine responses in COVID-19 -
  Host genetics are a significant determinant of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Animal models that reflect genetic diversity and a range of clinical outcomes observed in human populations are needed to understand mechanisms of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection dynamics and disease. Here, we report a mouse panel comprising the diverse genetic backgrounds of the Collaborative Cross (CC) founder strains crossed to C57BL/6J mice expressing the K18-hACE2 transgene3 that enables infection by SARS-CoV-2. Infection of CCxK18-hACE2 F1 progeny resulted in a spectrum of weight loss, survival, viral replication kinetics, histopathology, and cytokine profiles, some of which were sex-specific. Importantly, survival was closely associated with early type I interferon expression and a phased proinflammatory response distinct from mice with severe disease. Thus, dynamics of inflammatory responses observed in COVID-19 can be modeled in diverse mice that provide a genetically tractable platform for understanding antiviral immunity and evaluating countermeasures.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Genetically diverse mouse models of SARS-CoV-2 infection model clinical variation and cytokine responses in COVID-19
• 3D virtual Histopathology of Cardiac Tissue from Covid-19 Patients based on Phase-Contrast X-ray Tomography -
  For the first time, we have used phase-contrast x-ray tomography to characterize the three-dimensional (3d) structure of cardiac tissue from patients who succumbed to Covid-19. By extending conventional histopatholocigal examination by a third dimension, the delicate pathological changes of the vascular system of severe Covid-19 progressions can be analyzed, fully quantified and compared to other types of viral myocarditis and controls. To this end, cardiac samples with a cross section of 3:5mm were scanned at the synchrotron in a parallel beam configuration. The vascular network was segmented by a deep learning architecture suitable for 3d datasets (V-net), trained by sparse manual annotations. Pathological alterations of vessels, concerning the variation of diameters and the amount of small holes, were observed, indicative of elevated occurrence of intussusceptive angiogenesis, also confirmed by scanning electron microscopy. Further, we implemented a fully automated analysis of the tissue structure in form of shape measures based on the structure tensor. The corresponding distributions show that the histopathology of Covid-19 differs from both influenza and typical coxsackie virus myocarditis.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: 3D virtual Histopathology of Cardiac Tissue from Covid-19 Patients based on Phase-Contrast X-ray Tomography
• Altered fibrin clot structure contributes to thrombosis risk in severe COVID-19 -
  The high incidence of thrombotic events suggests a possible role of the contact system pathway in COVID-19 pathology. Here, we demonstrate altered levels of factor XII (FXII) and its activation products in two independent cohorts of critically ill COVID-19 patients in comparison to patients suffering from severe acute respiratory distress syndrome due to influenza virus (ARDS-influenza). Compatible with this data, we report rapid consumption of FXII in COVID-19, but not in ARDS-influenza, plasma. Interestingly, the kaolin clotting time was not prolonged in COVID-19 as compared to ARDS-influenza. Using confocal and electron microscopy, we show that increased FXII activation rate, in conjunction with elevated fibrinogen levels, triggers formation of fibrinolysis-resistant, compact clots with thin fibers and small pores in COVID-19. Accordingly, we observed clot lysis in 30% of COVID-19 patients and 84% of ARDS influenza subjects. Analysis of lung tissue sections revealed wide-spread extra- and intra-vascular compact fibrin deposits in COVID-19. Together, our results indicate that elevated fibrinogen levels and increased FXII activation rate promote thrombosis and thrombolysis resistance via enhanced thrombus formation and stability in COVID-19.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Altered fibrin clot structure contributes to thrombosis risk in severe COVID-19
• The evolutionary landscape of SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.519 and its clinical impact in Mexico City -

  The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is one of the most concerning health problems around the globe. We report the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.519 in Mexico City. This variant represented up to 90% of sequenced cases in February 2021. It is characterized by three amino acid changes in the spike protein: T478K, P681H, and T732A. We report the effective reproduction number of B.1.1.519 and present evidence of its geographical origin based on phylogenetic analysis. We also studied its evolution via haplotype analysis and identified the most recurrent haplotypes. Finally, we studied the clinical impact of B.1.1.519: patients infected with variant B.1.1.519 showed a highly significant adjusted odds ratio (aOR) increase of 1.85 over non-B.1.1.519 patients for developing a severe/critical outcome (P = 0.000296, 1.33-2.6 95% CI) and a 2.35-fold increase for hospitalization (P = 0.005, 1.32-4.34 95% CI). The continuous monitoring of this and other variants will be required to control the ongoing pandemic as it evolves.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: The evolutionary landscape of SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.519 and its clinical impact in Mexico City
• Subcutaneous REGEN-COV Antibody Combination in Early Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A Randomized Clinical Trial -

  Importance: Easy-to-administer antiviral treatments may be used to prevent progression from asymptomatic infection to COVID-19 and to reduce viral carriage. Objective: Evaluate the efficacy and safety of subcutaneous casirivimab and imdevimab antibody combination (REGEN-COV) to prevent progression from early asymptomatic SARS-CoV–2 infection to COVID-19. Design: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 study that enrolled asymptomatic close contacts living with a SARS-CoV-2–infected household member (index case). Participants who were SARS-CoV-2 RT- qPCR–positive at baseline were included in the analysis reported here. Setting: Multicenter trial conducted at 112 sites in the United States, Romania, and Moldova. Participants: Asymptomatic individuals ≥12 years of age were eligible if identified within 96 hours of collection of the index case9s positive SARS-CoV-2 test sample. Interventions: A total of 314 asymptomatic, SARS-CoV-2 RT-qPCR–positive individuals living with an infected household contact were randomized 1:1 to receive a single dose of subcutaneous REGEN-COV 1200mg (n=158) or placebo (n=156). Main Outcome(s) and Measure(s): The primary endpoint was the proportion of participants who developed symptomatic COVID-19 during the 28-day efficacy assessment period. The key secondary efficacy endpoints were the number of weeks of symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection and the number of weeks of high viral load (>4 log10 copies/mL). Safety was assessed in all treated participants. Results: Subcutaneous REGEN-COV 1200mg significantly prevented progression from asymptomatic to symptomatic disease compared with placebo (31.5% relative risk reduction; 29/100 [29.0%] vs 44/104 [42.3%], respectively; P=.0380). REGEN-COV reduced the overall population burden of high–viral load weeks (39.7% reduction vs placebo; 48 vs 82 total weeks; P=.0010) and of symptomatic weeks (45.3% reduction vs placebo; 89.6 vs 170.3 total weeks; P=.0273), the latter corresponding to an approximately 5.6-day reduction in symptom duration per symptomatic participant. Six placebo-treated participants had a COVID-19–related hospitalization or ER visit versus none for those receiving REGEN-COV. The proportion of participants receiving placebo who had ≥1 treatment-emergent adverse events was 48.1% compared with 33.5% for those receiving REGEN-COV, including events related (39.7% vs 25.8%, respectively) or not related (16.0% vs 11.0%, respectively) to COVID-19. Conclusions and Relevance: Subcutaneous REGEN-COV 1200mg prevented progression from asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection to COVID-19, reduced the duration of high viral load and symptoms, and was well tolerated.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Subcutaneous REGEN-COV Antibody Combination in Early Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A Randomized Clinical Trial
• First wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa’s island nations: A descriptive study of the variation in the disease burden -
  Motivated by the idea that island nations might respond differently to non-island countries in handling pandemic situations, we aimed to study the first wave of COVID-19, along with the potential reasons behind the variation in disease burden, across the six African island nations: Cabo Verde, Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, São Tomé e Príncipe, and Seychelles. We analysed the publicly available COVID-19 data on confirmed cases and deaths from the beginning of the pandemic through 29 November 2020, to give an overview of the course of the pandemic in these nations. To understand the variation in disease burden across nations, we first explored their economic statuses, healthcare expenditures and facilities, ranging from the numbers of hospital staff to the PCR tests performed, and the main health risk factors. We further examined the age and sex distributions and densities of the overall and urban populations, along with analyzing the main industries in these countries. We also reviewed the non-pharmaceutical response measures implemented nationally. By presenting a comprehensive picture of the healthcare, socioeconomic, and demographic situation and describing the control measures taken by the governments, we aimed to evaluate the possible determinants of the variation in COVID-19 disease burden across the islands.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: First wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa’s island nations: A descriptive study of the variation in the disease burden
• Australian Information Commission v Facebook Inc - Substituting the Hague Service Convention during the Pandemic -
  Recently, in Australian Information Commission v Facebook Inc ([2020] FCA 531), the Federal Court of Australia (‘FCA’) addresses substituted service and the Hague Service Convention in the contexts of the COVID-19 pandemic. This article seeks to discuss this important case in relation to whether defendants located outside of Australia in a Hague Convention state can be served by substituted service instead of following the Convention.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Australian Information Commission v Facebook Inc - Substituting the Hague Service Convention during the Pandemic
• Forecasts of weekly incident and cumulative COVID-19 mortality in the United States: A comparison of combining methods -

  Background Forecasting models have played a pivotal role in health policy decision making during the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. A combined forecast from multiple models will be typically more accurate than an individual forecast, but there are few examples of studies of combined forecasts of COVID-19 data, focusing mainly on simple mean and median ensembles and involving short forecast evaluation periods. We aimed to investigate the accuracy of different ways of combining probabilistic forecasts of weekly COVID-19 mortality data, including two weighted methods that we developed previously, on an extended dataset and new dataset, and evaluate over a period of 52 weeks. Methods We considered 95% interval and point forecasts of weekly incident and cumulative COVID-19 mortalities between 16 May 2020 and 8 May 2021 in multiple locations in the United States. We compared the accuracy of simple and more complex combining methods, as well as individual models. Results The average of the forecasts from the individual models was consistently more accurate than the average performance of these models (the mean combination), which provides a fundamental motivation for combining. Weighted combining performed well for both incident and cumulative mortalities, and for both interval and point forecasting. Our inverse score with tuning method was the most accurate overall. The median combination was a leading method in the last quarter for both mortalities, and it was consistently more accurate than the mean combination for point forecasting. For interval forecasts of cumulative mortality, the mean performed better than the median. The best performance of the leading individual model was in point forecasting. Conclusions Combining forecasts can improve the contribution of probabilistic forecasting to health policy decision making during epidemics, and, when there are sufficient historical data on forecast accuracy, weighted combining provides the most accurate method.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Forecasts of weekly incident and cumulative COVID-19 mortality in the United States: A comparison of combining methods
• Twitter Discourse on Nicotine as Potential Prophylactic or Therapeutic for COVID-19 -

  Objective: An unproven “nicotine hypothesis” that indicates nicotine9s therapeutic potential for COVID-19 has been proposed in recent literature. This study is about Twitter posts that misinterpret this hypothesis to make baseless claims about benefits of smoking and vaping in the context of COVID-19. We quantify the presence of such misinformation and characterize the tweeters who post such messages. Methods: Twitter premium API was used to download tweets (n = 17,533) that match terms indicating (a) nicotine or vaping themes, (b) a prophylactic or therapeutic effect, and (c) COVID-19 (January-July 2020) as a conjunctive query. A constraint on the length of the span of text containing the terms in the tweets allowed us to focus on those that convey the therapeutic intent. We hand-annotated these filtered tweets and built a classifier that identifies tweets that extrapolate the nicotine hypothesis to smoking/vaping with a positive predictive value of 85%. We analyzed the frequently used terms in author bios, top Web links, and hashtags of such tweets. Results: 21% of our filtered COVID-19 tweets indicate a vaping or smoking-based prevention/treatment narrative. Qualitative analyses show a variety of ways therapeutic claims are being made and tweeter bios reveal pre-existing notions of positive stances toward vaping. Conclusion: The social media landscape is a double-edged sword in tobacco communication. Although it increases information reach, consumers can also be subject to confirmation bias when exposed to inadvertent or deliberate framing of scientific discourse that may border on misinformation. This calls for circumspection and additional planning in countering such narratives as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to ravage our world. Our results also serve as a cautionary tale in how social media can be leveraged to spread misleading information about tobacco products in the wake of pandemics.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Twitter Discourse on Nicotine as Potential Prophylactic or Therapeutic for COVID-19
• The nuts and bolts of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Receptor Binding Domain heterologous expression -
  COVID-19 is a highly infectious disease caused by a newly emerged coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) that has rapidly progressed into a pandemic. This unprecedent emergency has stressed the significance of developing effective therapeutics to fight current and future outbreaks. The receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 surface Spike protein is the main target for vaccines and represents a helpful tool to produce neutralizing antibodies or diagnostic kits. In this work, we provide a detailed characterization of the native RBD produced in three major model systems: Escherichia coli, insect and HEK-293 cells. Circular dichroism, gel filtration chromatography and thermal denaturation experiments indicated that recombinant SARS-CoV-2 RBD proteins are stable and correctly folded. In addition, their functionality and receptor-binding ability were further evaluated through ELISA, flow cytometry assays and bio-layer interferometry.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: The nuts and bolts of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Receptor Binding Domain heterologous expression
• ZRC3308 monoclonal antibody cocktail shows protective efficacy in Syrian hamsters against SARS-CoV-2 infection -
  We have developed a monoclonal antibody (mAb) cocktail (ZRC-3308) comprising of ZRC3308-A7 and ZRC3308-B10 in the ratio 1:1 for COVID-19 treatment. The mAbs were designed to have reduced immune effector functions and increased circulation half-life. mAbs showed good binding affinities to non-competing epitopes on RBD of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and were found neutralizing SARS-CoV-2 variants B.1, B.1.1.7, B.1.351, B.1.617.2 and B.1.617.2 AY.1 in vitro. The mAb cocktail demonstrated effective prophylactic and therapeutic activity against SARS-CoV-2 infection in Syrian hamsters. The antibody cocktail appears to be a promising candidate for the prophylactic use and for therapy in early COVID-19 cases which have not progressed to severe disease.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: ZRC3308 monoclonal antibody cocktail shows protective efficacy in Syrian hamsters against SARS-CoV-2 infection
• A novel hamster model of SARS-CoV-2 respiratory infection using a pseudotyped virus -
  Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a biosafety level (BSL)-3 pathogen; therefore, its research environment is strictly limited. Pseudotyped viruses that mimic SARS-CoV-2 have been widely used for in vitro evaluation because they are available in BSL-2 containment laboratories; however, in vivo application is inadequate. Therefore, animal models that can be instigated with animal BSL-2 will increase opportunities for in vivo evaluations. Methods: Hamsters (6- to 10-week-old males) were intratracheally inoculated with luciferase-expressing vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV)-based SARS-CoV-2 pseudotyped virus. The lungs were harvested 24 h after inoculation, and luminescence was measured using an in vivo imaging system. Results: Lung luminescence after inoculation with the SARS-CoV-2 pseudotyped virus increased in a dose-dependent manner. VSV-G (envelope [G]) pseudotyped virus also induced luminescence; however, a 100-fold concentration was required to reach a level similar to that of the SARS-CoV-2 pseudotyped virus. Conclusions: The SARS-CoV-2 pseudotyped virus is applicable to SARS-CoV-2 respiratory infections in a hamster model. Because of the single-round infectious virus, the model can be used to study the steps from viral binding to entry, which will be useful for future research regarding SARS-CoV-2 entry without using live SARS-CoV-2 or transgenic animals.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: A novel hamster model of SARS-CoV-2 respiratory infection using a pseudotyped virus

From Clinical Trials

• Finding Treatments for COVID-19: A Trial of Antiviral Pharmacodynamics in Early Symptomatic COVID-19 (PLATCOV) - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Drug: Favipiravir;   Drug: Monoclonal antibodies;   Drug: Ivermectin;   Other: No treatment;   Drug: Remdesivir
  Sponsor:   University of Oxford
  Not yet recruiting

• Safety and Immunogenicity Study of AdCLD-CoV19-1: A COVID-19 Preventive Vaccine in Healthy Volunteers - Condition:   Covid19
  Intervention:   Biological: AdCLD-CoV19-1
  Sponsor:  
  Cellid Co., Ltd.
  Recruiting

• A Post-Exposure Prophylaxis Study of PF-07321332/Ritonavir in Adult Household Contacts of an Individual With Symptomatic COVID-19 - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Drug: PF-07321332;   Drug: Placebo for PF-07321332;   Drug: Placebo for Ritonavir;   Drug: Ritonavir
  Sponsor:   Pfizer
  Not yet recruiting

• Factors Influencing the COVID-19 Vaccine Immune Response According to Age and Presence or Not of a Past History of COVID-19 - Condition:   Covid19
  Interventions:   Biological: COVID-19 vaccine Pfizer (2 doses);   Biological: COVID-19 vaccine Pfizer (1 dose);   Biological: COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine Moderna (2 doses);   Biological: COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine Moderna (1 dose)
  Sponsors:   Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Saint Etienne;   Sanofi Pasteur, a Sanofi Company;   Bioaster
  Not yet recruiting

• COVID-19 Morbidity in Healthcare Workers and Vitamin D Supplementation - Condition:   COVID-19 Respiratory Infection
  Intervention:   Drug: Vitamin D
  Sponsor:   Federal State Budgetary Institution, V. A. Almazov Federal North-West Medical Research Centre, of the Ministry of Health
  Completed

• TThe Safety and Efficacy of SCTV01C in Population Aged ≥18 Years Previously Vaccinated With Inactivated COVID-19 Vaccine.Healthy Population Aged ≥18 Years Previously Vaccinated With Inactivated COVID-19 Vaccine. - Conditions:   COVID-19;   SARS-CoV-2 Infection
  Interventions:   Biological: SCTV01C;   Other: Placebo
  Sponsor:   Sinocelltech Ltd.
  Not yet recruiting

• The Safety and Efficacy of SCTV01C in Population Aged ≥18 Years Previously Vaccinated With Inactivated COVID-19 Vaccine.Healthy Population Aged ≥18 Years Previously Vaccinated With Adenovirus Vectored or mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine. - Conditions:   COVID-19;   SARS-CoV-2 Infection
  Interventions:   Biological: SCTV01C;   Other: Placebo
  Sponsor:   Sinocelltech Ltd.
  Not yet recruiting

• Heterologous Prime-boost Immunization With an Aerosolised Adenovirus Type-5 Vector-based COVID-19 Vaccine (Ad5-nCoV) After Priming With an Inactivated SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Biological: inactive SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (Vero cell);   Biological: Low dose aerosolized Ad5-nCoV;   Biological: High dose aerosolized Ad5-nCoV
  Sponsor:   Jiangsu Province Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  Recruiting

• Text Message Nudges for COVID-19 Vaccination - Condition:   Covid19
  Intervention:   Behavioral: Text message
  Sponsor:  
  Ascension South East Michigan
  Not yet recruiting

• A Pilot Study of a PhysiOthErapy-based Tailored Intervention for Long Covid - Condition:   COVID-19
  Intervention:   Behavioral: Physiotherapy
  Sponsors:  
  University of Calgary;   Alberta Health Services
  Not yet recruiting

• Combined Antihistaminics Therapy in COVID 19 Patients - Condition:   Covid19
  Interventions:   Drug: Loratadine;   Drug: Famotidine
  Sponsors:   Ain Shams University;   Nasr City Insurance Hospital
  Not yet recruiting

• Relate to the Virus That Causes COVID-19, Known as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) - Condition:   Covid19
  Intervention:   Other: Rapid antigen testing kit
  Sponsors:  
  Mahidol University;   Yuvabadhana foundation;   Zero COVID Thailand
  Not yet recruiting

• Prevention and Treatment of Patient Before, During, and After Covid-19 Infection - Condition:   Covid19
  Intervention:   Drug: AntiCov-220
  Sponsor:  
  Nguyen Thi Trieu, MD
  Active, not recruiting

• Quercetin in the Prevention of Covid-19 Infection - Condition:   Covid19
  Interventions:   Dietary Supplement: Quercetin;   Combination Product: Placebo
  Sponsor:   Azienda di Servizi alla Persona di Pavia
  Completed

• A Study to Evaluate Change in Viral Load After OPN-019 in Adults With COVID-19 - Condition:   Covid19
  Intervention:   Drug: OPN-019
  Sponsor:   Optinose US Inc.
  Recruiting

From PubMed

• Low-Valent Calix[4]arene Glycoconjugates Based on Hydroxamic Acid Bearing Linkers as Potent Inhibitors in a Model of Ebola Virus Cis-Infection and HCMV-gB-Recombinant Glycoprotein Interaction with MDDC Cells by Blocking DC-SIGN - In addition to a variety of viral-glycoprotein receptors (e.g., heparan sulfate, Niemann-Pick C1, etc.), dendritic cell- specific intercellular adhesion molecule-3-grabbing nonintegrin (DC-SIGN), from the C-type lectin receptor family, plays one of the most important pathogenic functions for a wide range of viruses (e.g., Ebola, human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), HIV-1, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, etc.) that invade host cells before replication; thus, its inhibition represents a…

• Evaluation of the correlation between the Access SARS-CoV-2 IgM and IgG II antibody tests with the SARS-CoV-2 surrogate virus neutralization test - Fully automated immunoassays for detecting severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies that are strongly correlated with neutralization antibodies (nAbs) are clinically important because they enable assessment of humoral immunity after infection and vaccination. Access SARS-CoV-2 IgM and IgG II antibody tests are semi- quantitative, fully automated immunoassays that detect anti-receptor-binding domain (RBD) antibodies and might reflect nAb levels in coronavirus disease…

• Should the world collaborate imminently to develop neglected live attenuated vaccines for COVID-19? - The rapid spread of the Delta variant suggests that SARS-CoV-2 will likely keep rampant for months or years and could claim millions of more lives. All known vaccines cannot well defeat SARS-CoV-2 except neglected live attenuated vaccines (LAVs), which could have much higher efficacy and much higher production efficiency than other vaccines. LAVs have well defeated more pathogenic viruses than other vaccines in the history, and most of the current human vaccines for viral diseases are safe LAVs….

• Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2: The Role of the Main Components of the Innate Immune System - At the end of December 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic began in Wuhan of China. COVID-19 affects different people with a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations, ranging from asymptomatic with recovery without hospitalization up to a severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). The innate and adaptive immunity appears responsible for the defense against the virus and recovery from the disease. The innate immune system, as the first line of defense, is essential for the detection of virus and…

• Neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus using ACE2-engineered extracellular vesicles - The spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) throughout the world has resulted in stressful healthcare burdens and global health crises. Developing an effective measure to protect people from infection is an urgent need. The blockage of interaction between angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and S protein is considered an essential target for anti- severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) drugs. A full-length ACE2 protein could be a potential drug to block early entry…

• The Role of Steroids in the Management of COVID-19 Infection - Steroids are anti-inflammatory drugs that have been utilized in a wide range of clinical illnesses, including rheumatologic, autoimmune, inflammatory, and numerous lung diseases. Because of the inhibition of the inflammatory cascade, corticosteroids are beneficial in many pulmonary disorders, including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), laryngotracheobronchitis, interstitial lung diseases, severe pneumonia, and acute respiratory distress syndrome. We will report a case of a…

• N-Terminal Modification of Gly-His-tagged Proteins with Azidogluconolactone - Site-specific protein modifications are vital for biopharmaceutical drug development. Gluconoylation is a non-enzymatic, post-translational modification of N-terminal HisTags. We report high-yield, site-selective in vitro α-aminoacylation of peptides, glycoproteins, antibodies, and Virus-like particles (VLPs) with azidogluconolactone at pH 7.5 in 1 h. Conjugates slowly hydrolyse, but diol-masking with borate esters inhibits reversibility. In an example, we multimerise azidogluconoylated…

• Influence of coronavirus disease 2019 on myopic progression in children treated with low-concentration atropine - CONCLUSIONS: The rates of myopic progression have increased substantially after the spread of COVID-19 with an increase in the home confinement of children. Therefore, it is necessary to control the environmental risk factors for myopia, even in children undergoing treatment for the inhibition of myopic progression.

• New Chalcone Derivatives as Effective Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Agents - CONCLUSIONS: Computational analyses identified eight compounds inhibiting each target, with binding affinity scores ranging from -4,370 to -2,748 kcal/mol along with their toxicological, ADME, and drug-like properties.

• Efficacy of Combination Therapy With The JAK Inhibitor Baricitinib In The Treatment of COVID-19 - CONCLUSIONS: These findings support the utility of immunosuppression via JAK inhibition in moderate to severe COVID-19 pneumonia.

• Social network-based cohorting to reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in secondary schools: A simulation study in classrooms of four European countries - BACKGROUND: Operating schools safely under pandemic conditions is a widespread policy goal. We analyse the effectiveness of classroom cohorting, i.e., the decomposition of classrooms into smaller isolated units, in inhibiting the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in European secondary schools and compare different cohorting strategies.

• Telaprevir is a potential drug for repurposing against SARS-CoV-2: computational and in vitro studies - Drug repurposing is an important approach to the assignment of already approved drugs for new indications. This technique bypasses some steps in the traditional drug approval system, which saves time and lives in the case of pandemics. Direct acting antivirals (DAAs) have repeatedly repurposed from treating one virus to another. In this study, 16 FDA-approved hepatitis C virus (HCV) DAA drugs were studied to explore their activities against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2…

• Endocytosis of abiotic nanomaterials and nanobiovectors: Inhibition of membrane trafficking - Humans are exposed to nanoscopical nanobiovectors (e.g. coronavirus SARS-CoV-2) as well as abiotic metal/carbon-based nanomaterials that enter cells serendipitously or intentionally. Understanding the interactions of cell membranes with these abiotic and biotic nanostructures will facilitate scientists to design better functional nanomaterials for biomedical applications. Such knowledge will also provide important clues for the control of viral infections and the treatment of virus-induced…

• Polymeric Materials as Potential Inhibitors Against SARS-CoV-2 - Recently discovered SARS-CoV-2 caused a pandemic that triggered researchers worldwide to focus their research on all aspects of this new peril to humanity. However, in the absence of specific therapeutic intervention, some preventive strategies and supportive treatment minimize the viral transmission as studied by some factors such as basic reproduction number, case fatality rate, and incubation period in the epidemiology of viral diseases. This review briefly discusses coronaviruses’ life cycle…

• Asunaprevir, a Potent Hepatitis C Virus Protease Inhibitor, Blocks SARS-CoV-2 Propagation - The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has become a global health concern. Various SARS-CoV-2 vaccines have been developed and are being used for vaccination worldwide. However, no therapeutic agents against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have been developed so far; therefore, new therapeutic agents are urgently needed. In the present study, we evaluated several hepatitis C virus direct-acting antivirals as potential candidates for drug repurposing against…

From Patent Search

• MACHINE LEARNING TECHNIQUE TO ANALYSE THE CONDITION OF COVID-19 PATIENTS BASED ON THEIR SATURATION LEVELS - - link

• A HERB BASED COMPOSITION ANTI VIRAL MEDICINE FOR TREATMENT OF SARS COV 2 AND A METHOD FOR TREATING A PERSON INFECTED BY THE SARS COV 2 VIRUS - A Herbal composition, viz., PONNU MARUNTHU essentially comprising of ALLUIUM CEPA extract. [concentrated to 30%] 75%, SAPINDUS MUKOROSSI - extract [Optimised] 10%, CITRUS X LIMON - extract in its natural form 05 TRACYSPERMUM AMMI (L) – extract 07%,ROSA HYBRIDA - extract 03%, PONNU MARUNTHU solution 50 ml, or as a capsulated PONNU MARUNTHU can be given to SARS cov2 positive Patients, three times a day that is ½ an hour before food; continued for 3 days to 5 days and further taking it for 2 days if need be there; It will completely cure a person. When the SARS cov2 test shows negative this medicine can be discontinued. This indigenous medicine and method for treating a person inflicted with SARS COV 2 viral infection is quite effective in achieving of much needed remedy for the patients and saving precious lives from the pangs of death and ensuring better health of people. - link

• Anti-Sars-Cov-2 Neutralizing Antibodies - - link

• Expression Vector for Anti-Sars-Cov-2 Neutralizing Antibodies - - link

• DEVELOPMENT OF CNN SCHEME FOR COVID-19 DISEASE DETECTION USING CHEST RADIOGRAPH - - link

• 一种检测新型冠状病毒的引物探针组合及其应用 - 本发明提供了一种检测新型冠状病毒的引物探针组合及其应用，所述检测新型冠状病毒的引物探针组合包括特异性扩增并检测2019‑nCoV的ORF1ab基因、核壳蛋白N基因和刺突蛋白S基因N501Y突变位点的特异性引物对和探针。本发明还提供了一种检测新型冠状病毒的试剂盒及其以非疾病诊断和/或治疗为目的的使用方法。本发明所述检测新型冠状病毒的引物探针组合具有良好的特异性与灵敏度，配合优化后的检测体系，可以对待测样本进行快速准确的检测，并可以对整个实验流程进行监控，降低假阳性以及假阴性检测结果的出现概率，具有重要的意义。 - link

• SARS-COV-2 BINDING PROTEINS - - link

• COVID-19胸部CT图像识别方法、装置及电子设备 - 本申请涉及一种COVID‑19胸部CT图像识别方法、装置及电子设备。所述方法获取COVID‑19的胸部CT图像，并针对胸部CT图像的特点，构建新冠肺炎CT识别网络，对该网络进行训练得到COVID‑19胸部CT图像识别模型，并利用该模型对待测CT图像进行分类。采用空洞卷积、深度卷积以及点卷积算子，减少冗余参数；采用并行结构连接方式，实现多尺度特征融合、降低模型复杂度；采用下采样方式，使用最大模糊池化以减少锯齿效应，保持信号的平移不变性；采用通道混洗操作，减少参数量与计算量，提高分类准确率，引入坐标注意力机制，使空间坐标信息与通道信息被关注，抑制不重要的信息，以解决资源匹配问题。 - link

• A PROCESS FOR PREPARING MONTELUKAST SODIUM FOR TREATING COVID 19 PATIENTS - - link

• IDENTIFICATION OF ANTI-COVID 19 AGENT SOMNIFERINE AS INHIBITOR OF MPRO & ACE2-RBD INTERACTION - - link