Covid-19 Sentry

Contents

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

From Preprints

• Immune and pathophysiologic profiling of antenatal COVID-19 in the GIFT cohort: A Singaporean case-control study. -

  Background COVID-19 has been a major public health threat for the past two years, with disproportionate effects on the elderly, immunocompromised, and pregnant women. While much has been done in delineating immune dysfunctions and pathogenesis in the former two groups, less is known about the disease9s progression in expectant women and children born to them. To address this knowledge gap, we profiled the immune responses in maternal and child sera as well as breast milk in terms of antibody and cytokine expression and performed histopathological studies on placentae obtained from mothers convalescent from antenatal COVID-19. Methods and findings A total of 17 mother-child dyads (8 cases of antenatal COVID-19 and 9 healthy unrelated controls; 34 individuals in total) were recruited to the Gestational Immunity For Transfer (GIFT) study. Maternal and infant sera, and breast milk samples were collected over the first year of life. All samples were analyzed for IgG and IgA against whole SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, the spike receptor-binding domain (RBD), and previously reported immunodominant epitopes, with conventional ELISA approaches. Cytokine levels were quantified in maternal sera using multiplex microbead-based Luminex arrays. The placentae were examined microscopically. We found high levels of virus-specific IgG in convalescent mothers and similarly elevated titers in newborn children. Virus-specific IgG in infant circulation waned within 3-6 months of life. Virus-specific IgA levels were variable among convalescent individuals9 sera and breast milk. Convalescent mothers also showed a blood cytokine signature indicative of a persistent pro-inflammatory state. Four placentae presented signs of acute inflammation marked by neutrophil infiltration even though >50 days had elapsed between virus clearance and delivery. Administration of a single dose of BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine to mothers convalescent from antenatal COVID-19 increased virus-specific IgG and IgA titers in breast milk. Conclusions Antenatal SARS-CoV-2 infection led to high plasma titres of virus-specific antibodies in infants postnatally. However, this was not reflected in milk; milk-borne antibody levels varied widely. Additionally, placentae from COVID-19 positive mothers exhibited signs of acute inflammation with neutrophilic involvement, particularly in the subchorionic region. Virus neutralisation by plasma was not uniformly achieved, and the presence of antibodies targeting known immunodominant epitopes did not assure neutralisation. Antibody transfer ratios and the decay of transplacentally transferred virus-specific antibodies in neonatal circulation resembled that for other pathogens. Convalescent mothers showed signs of chronic inflammation marked by persistently elevated IL17RA levels in their blood. A single dose of the Pfizer BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine provided significant boosts to milk-borne virus-specific antibodies, highlighting the importance of receiving the vaccine even after natural infection with the added benefit of enhanced passive immunity. The study is registered at clinicaltrials.gov under the identifier NCT04802278.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Immune and pathophysiologic profiling of antenatal COVID-19 in the GIFT cohort: A Singaporean case-control study.
• Transcriptome and DNA methylome analysis of peripheral blood samples reveals incomplete restoration and transposable element activation after 3-month recovery of COVID-19 -

  Comprehensive analyses showed that SARS-CoV-2 infection caused COVID-19 and induced strong immune responses and sometimes severe illnesses. However, cellular features of recovered patients and long-term health consequences remain largely unexplored. In this study, we collected peripheral blood samples from recovered COVID-19 patients (average age of 35.7 years old) from Hubei province, China, 3 months after discharge; and carried out RNA-seq and whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) to identify hallmarks of recovered COVID-19 patients. Our analyses showed significant changes both in expression and DNA methylation of genes and transposable elements (TEs) in recovered COVID-19 patients. We identified 639 misregulated genes and 18516 differentially methylated regions (DMRs) in total. Genes with aberrant expression and DMRs were found to be associated with immune responses and other related biological processes, implicating prolonged overreaction of the immune system in response to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Notably, a significant amount of TEs were aberrantly activated and TE activation was positively correlated with COVID-19 severity. Moreover, differentially methylated TEs may regulate adjacent gene expression as regulatory elements. Those identified transcriptomic and epigenomic signatures define and drive the features of recovered COVID-19 patients, helping determine the risks of long COVID-19, and providing guidance for clinical intervention.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Transcriptome and DNA methylome analysis of peripheral blood samples reveals incomplete restoration and transposable element activation after 3-month recovery of COVID-19
• Parenting During COVID-19: A Sentiment and Topic Modeling Analysis of Reddit Data -
  The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused significant disruption in the lives of individuals across the globe. Especially during the early parts of the pandemic, parents took on increased caregiving responsibilities with little to no guidance from health organizations. Much of the research that has examined parenting during COVID-19 has stemmed from survey data. However, self-presentation biases may prevent survey researchers from obtaining authentic and accurate experiences from parents. Therefore, this study examined parents’ sentiment and emotional wellbeing during COVID-19 using Reddit data—specifically, posts from the Mommit and Daddit subreddits. Posts were scraped from December 2010 to December 2021. Sentiment analysis results suggest that Mommit posts express markedly more negative sentiment. However, since the onset of the pandemic in the United States, the average sentiment for both subreddits declined steadily at similar rates. Unsupervised topic modeling paired with qualitative analysis indicated that, in Mommit, sentiment changes may have been driven by increased expression of emotional distress around the role of motherhood, exhaustion with caregiving duties, and strained familial relationships. In Daddit, analyses suggested increased involvement in daily caregiving activities, concerns about bonding with children, and expressions of feelings relating to anxiety and depression. Notably, both subreddits show signs that parental stresses have continued to worsen since the onset of the pandemic. Future research should continue to monitor the emotional wellbeing of parents as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Parenting During COVID-19: A Sentiment and Topic Modeling Analysis of Reddit Data
• Estimating the distribution of COVID-19-susceptible, -recovered, and -vaccinated individuals in Germany up to April 2022 -

  After having affected the population for two years, the COVID-19 pandemic has reached a phase where a considerable number of people in Germany have been either infected with a SARS-CoV-2 variant, vaccinated, or both. Yet the full extent to which the population has been in contact with either virus or vaccine remains elusive, particularly on a regional level, because (a) infection counts suffer from under-reporting, and (b) the overlap between the vaccinated and recovered subpopulations is unknown. Since previous infection, vaccination, or especially a combination of both reduce the risk of severe disease, a high share of individuals with SARS-CoV-2 immunity lowers the probability of severe outbreaks that could potentially overburden the public health system once again, given that emerging variants do not escape this reduction in susceptibility. Here, we estimate the share of immunologically naive individuals by age group for each of the 16 German federal states by integrating an infectious disease model based on weekly incidences of SARS-CoV-2 infections in the national surveillance system and vaccine uptake, as well as assumptions regarding under- ascertainment. We estimate a median share of 7.0% of individuals in the German population have neither been in contact with vaccine nor any variant as of March 31, 2022 (quartile range [3.6%-9.8%]). For the adult population at higher risk of severe disease, this figure is reduced to 3.5% [1.3%-5.5%] for ages 18-59 and 4.3% [2.7%-5.8%] for ages 60 and above. However, estimates vary between German states mostly due to heterogeneous vaccine uptake. Excluding Omicron infections from the analysis, 16.1% [14.0%-17.8%] of the population in Germany, across all ages, are estimated to be immunologically naive, highlighting the large impact the Omicron wave had until the beginning of spring in 2022.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Estimating the distribution of COVID-19-susceptible, -recovered, and -vaccinated individuals in Germany up to April 2022
• Financial stressors and subsequent health and wellbeing of individuals experiencing economic hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative interview study -
  Aims There are concerns that the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, including employment inactivity and job loss, will have consequences for the population’s wellbeing. However, there is limited qualitative research into how financial hardship contributes to poor health outcomes in this context. This study aimed to explore factors affecting financial hardship and subsequent impacts for wellbeing during the pandemic. Methods Qualitative semi-structured interviews with 20 people experiencing financial hardship and six service providers employed in social welfare support services. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results Three main sources of financial stress were identified by participants: reductions in household incomes, increased living costs, and increased financial borrowing, which engendered emotional and physical burdens. Conclusion Our findings underline the importance of measures attending to the immediate needs of individuals, including accessible, co-located financial and psychological services, as well as broader measures that seek to reduce social and economic inequalities.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Financial stressors and subsequent health and wellbeing of individuals experiencing economic hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative interview study
• The impact of labour market shocks on mental health: evidence from the COVID-19 first wave -
  In this study, we estimate the effect of a negative labour market shock on individuals’ levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. We use a dataset collected during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, on a representative sample of citizens from Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom, interviewed on three occasions. We measure stress, anxiety and depression and labour shocks using validated scales. Our research design is a standard differences-in-differences model: we leverage the differential timing of shocks to identify the impact on mental health. In our estimations, a negative labour shock increases the measure of stress, anxiety, and depression by 16% of a standard deviation computed from the baseline.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: The impact of labour market shocks on mental health: evidence from the COVID-19 first wave
• Prosocial motivation for vaccination -
  Vaccination has both private and public benefits. We ask whether social preferences—concerns for the well-being of other people—influence one’s decision regarding vaccination. We measure these social preferences for 549 online subjects: We give each subject $4 to play a public-good game and make contributions to public welfare. To the extent that one gets vaccinated out of concern for the health of others, contribution in this game is analogous to an individual’s decision to obtain vaccination. We collect COVID-19 vaccination history separately to avoid experimenter- demand effects. We find a strong result: Contribution in the public-good game is associated with greater demand to voluntarily receive a first dose, and thus also to vaccinate earlier. Compared to a subject who contributes nothing, one who contributes the maximum ($4) is 48% more likely to obtain a first dose voluntarily in the four-month period that we study (April through August 2021). People who are more pro-social are indeed more likely to take a voluntary COVID-19 vaccination.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Prosocial motivation for vaccination
• Spotlighted but with gender bias: Underrepresentation and paradoxical representation of frontline women health workers in Chinese social media during COVID-19 -
  Despite that women constitute the major force in the frontline health sector during COVID-19, representation and biased representation of women health workers still prevail. This study applied Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic modeling on Weibo posts (N = 199,110) containing the keyword, “援鄂医疗队” (i.e., “aiding-Hubei medical team” where Hubei is the province that Wuhan is in). Posts were published during the first stage of COVID-19 (January 22, 2020 to June 30, 2020). Results revealed that frontline health workers were spotlighted on Weibo as serving the “nation,” saving the “patients,” and fulfilling family roles, indicating a home-country-isomorphism ideology. According to the 13 topics found in this online corpus, posts discussing health workers in a genderless collective lens tended to emphasize their professional roles; but when the woman identity of health workers became evident, posts tended to emphasize their family roles. Moreover, we observed the militarization of language that reinforced patriarchal masculinity. Corporates’ and male celebrities’ wave-riding and hashtag-jumping/hijacking – with posts celebrating their charitable activities toward COVID-19 medical teams – further deprived women health workers of their voices and visibility. Social bots, notably, participated in this message propagation process. Implications of findings are discussed.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Spotlighted but with gender bias: Underrepresentation and paradoxical representation of frontline women health workers in Chinese social media during COVID-19
• Association between household composition and severe COVID-19 outcomes in older people by ethnicity: an observational cohort study using the OpenSAFELY platform -

  Background Ethnic differences in the risk of severe COVID-19 may be linked to household composition. We quantified the association between household composition and risk of severe COVID-19 by ethnicity for older individuals. Methods With the approval of NHS England, we analysed ethnic differences in the association between household composition and severe COVID-19 in people aged 67 or over in England. We defined households by number of generations living together, and used multivariable Cox regression stratified by location and wave of the pandemic and accounted for age, sex, comorbidities, smoking, obesity, housing density and deprivation. We included 2 692 223 people over 67 years in wave 1 (01/02/2020-31/08/2020) and 2 731 427 in wave 2 (01/09/2020-31/01/2021). Findings Multigenerational living was associated with increased risk of severe COVID-19 for White and South Asian older people in both waves (e.g. wave 2, 67+ living with 3 other generations vs 67+ year olds only: White HR 1.61 95% CI 1.38-1.87, South Asian HR 1.76 95% CI 1.48-2.10), with a trend for increased risks of severe COVID-19 with increasing generations in wave 2. Interpretation Multigenerational living was associated with severe COVID-19 in older adults. Older South Asian people are over-represented within multigenerational households in England, especially in the most deprived settings. The number of generations in a household, number of occupants, ethnicity and deprivation status are important considerations in the continued roll-out of COVID-19 vaccination and targeting of interventions for future pandemics. Funding This research was funded in part, by the Wellcome Trust. For the purpose of open access, the author has applied a CC-BY public copyright licence to any Author Accepted Manuscript version arising from this submission.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Association between household composition and severe COVID-19 outcomes in older people by ethnicity: an observational cohort study using the OpenSAFELY platform
• Snotwatch COVID-Toes: An ecological study of chilblains and COVID-19 diagnoses in Victoria, Australia -

  Background The COVID-19 pandemic has caused widespread illness with varying clinical manifestations. One less- commonly-reported presentation of COVID-19 infection is chilblain-like lesions. Aims We conducted an ecological analysis of chilblain presentations in comparison with confirmed and suspected COVID-19 infections in a primary care setting to establish that a relationship exists between the two. Study Design Our study collated data from three Primary Health Networks across Victoria, Australia, from 2017-2021, to understand patterns of chilblain presentations prior to and throughout the pandemic. Using a zero-inflated negative binomial regression analysis, we estimated the relationship between local minimum temperature, COVID-19 infections and the frequency of chilblain presentations. Results We found a 5.72 risk ratio of chilblain incidence in relation to COVID-19 infections and a 3.23 risk ratio associated with suspected COVID-19 infections. COVID-19 infections were also more strongly associated with chilblain presentations in 0-16-year-olds throughout the pandemic in Victoria. Conclusion Our study statistically demonstrates that chilblains are significantly associated with COVID-19 infections in a primary care setting. This has major implications for clinicians aiming to diagnose COVID-19 infections or determine the cause of a presentation of chilblains. Additionally, we demonstrate the utility of large-scale primary care data and its potential application to monitoring the spread of COVID-19 infections across the state, supporting current epidemiological efforts for COVID-19 tracking.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Snotwatch COVID-Toes: An ecological study of chilblains and COVID-19 diagnoses in Victoria, Australia
• Prosocial motivation for vaccination -

  Vaccination has both private and public benefits. We ask whether social preferences—concerns for the well-being of other people—influence one9s decision regarding vaccination. We measure these social preferences for 549 online subjects: We give each subject $4 to play a public-good game and make contributions to public welfare. To the extent that one gets vaccinated out of concern for the health of others, contribution in this game is analogous to an individual9s decision to obtain vaccination. We collect COVID-19 vaccination history separately to avoid experimenter- demand effects. We find a strong result: Contribution in the public-good game is associated with greater demand to voluntarily receive a first dose, and thus also to vaccinate earlier. Compared to a subject who contributes nothing, one who contributes the maximum ($4) is 48% more likely to obtain a first dose voluntarily in the four-month period that we study (April through August 2021). People who are more pro-social are indeed more likely to take a voluntary COVID-19 vaccination.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Prosocial motivation for vaccination
• Regional replacement of SARS-CoV-2 variant BA.1 with BA.2 as observed through wastewater surveillance -

  An understanding of circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants can inform pandemic response, vaccine development, disease epidemiology, and use of monoclonal antibody treatments. We developed custom assays targeting characteristic mutations in SARS-CoV-2 variants Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 and confirmed their sensitivity and specificity in silico and in vitro. We then applied these assays to daily wastewater solids samples from eight publicly owned treatment works in the greater Bay Area of California, USA, over four months to obtain a spatially and temporally intensive data set. We documented regional replacement of BA.1 with BA.2 in agreement with, and ahead of, clinical sequencing data. This study highlights the utility of wastewater surveillance for real time tracking of SARS-CoV-2 variant circulation.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Regional replacement of SARS-CoV-2 variant BA.1 with BA.2 as observed through wastewater surveillance
• Epidemiological investigation of the COVID-19 outbreak in Vellore district in South India using Geographic Information Surveillance (GIS) -

  Objectives: Geographical Information Surveillance (GIS) is an advanced digital technology tool that maps location-based data and helps in epidemiological modeling. We applied GIS to analyze patterns of spread and hotspots of COVID-19 cases in Vellore district in South India. Methods: Laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases from the Vellore district and neighboring taluks from March 2020 to June 2021 were geo-coded and spatial maps were generated. Time trends exploring urban-rural burden with an age-sex distribution of cases and other variables were correlated with outcomes. Results: A total of 45,401 cases of COVID-19 were detected with 20730 cases during the first wave and 24671 cases during the second wave. The overall incidence rates of COVID-19 were 462.8 and 588.6 per 100,000 populations during the first and second waves respectively. The pattern of spread revealed epicenters in densely populated urban areas with radial spread sparing rural areas in the first wave. The case fatality rate was 1.89% and 1.6% during the first and second waves that increased with advancing age. Conclusions: Modern surveillance systems like GIS can accurately predict the trends and pattern of spread during future pandemics. A real-time mapping can help design risk mitigation strategies thereby preventing the spread to rural areas.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Epidemiological investigation of the COVID-19 outbreak in Vellore district in South India using Geographic Information Surveillance (GIS)
• SARS-CoV-2 testing of aircraft wastewater shows that mandatory tests and vaccination pass before boarding did not prevent massive importation of Omicron variant in Europe -

  Background : Most new SARS-CoV-2 epidemics in France occurred following importation from abroad of emerging viral variants. Currently, the control of such risk of new variant importation is based on the negativity of a screening test (PCR or antigenic) and on an up-to-date vaccine status, such as International Air Transport Association travel pass. Methods: Wastewater of 2 planes arriving in Marseille (France) from Addis-Ababa (Ethiopia) on December 2021 were

1. tested by RT-PCR for SARS-CoV2 detection, and variants screening; these tests were carried out between landing and custom clearance, ii)sequenced by MiSeq Illumina. Antigenic tests and sequencing by NovaSeq were carried out on respiratory samples collected from the 56 passengers of the second flight. Results: SARS-CoV-2 RNA suspected of being from the Omicron BA.1 variant was detected on the aircraft wastewater. SARS-CoV2 RNA was detected for 11 (20%) passengers and the Omicron BA.1 variant was identified. Conclusion: Our work shows the efficiency of aircraft wastewater testing to detect SARS-CoV-2 cases among travelers and identify the viral genotype. It also highlights the low performance for incoming flights from outside Europe to France of the current filter strategy that combines requirement for a vaccine pass and a negative testing before boarding.
   🖺 Full Text HTML: SARS-CoV-2 testing of aircraft wastewater shows that mandatory tests and vaccination pass before boarding did not prevent massive importation of Omicron variant in Europe

• How time-scale differences in asymptomatic and symptomatic transmission shape SARS-CoV-2 outbreak dynamics -

  Asymptomatic and symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections can have different characteristic time scales of transmission. These time-scale differences can shape outbreak dynamics as well as bias population-level estimates of epidemic strength, speed, and controllability. For example, prior work focusing on the initial exponential growth phase of an outbreak foundthat larger time scales for asymptomatic vs. symptomatic transmission can lead to under-estimates of the basic reproduction number as inferred from epidemic case data. Building upon this work, we use a series of nonlinear epidemic models to explore how differences in asymptomatic and symptomatic transmission time scales can lead to changes in the realized proportion of asymptomatic transmission throughout an epidemic. First, we find that when asymptomatic transmission time scales are longer than symptomatic transmission time scales, then the effective proportion of asymptomatic transmission increases as total incidence decreases. Moreover, these time-scale-driven impacts on epidemic dynamics are enhanced when infection status is correlated between infector and infectee pairs (e.g., due to dose-dependent impacts on symptoms). Next we apply these findings to understand the impact of time-scale differences on populations with age-dependent assortative mixing and in which the probability of having a symptomatic infection increases with age. We show that if asymptomatic generation intervals are longer than corresponding symptomatic generation intervals, then correlations between age and symptoms lead to a decrease in the age of infection during periods of epidemic decline (whether due to susceptible depletion or intervention). Altogether, these results demonstrate the need to explore the role of time-scale differences in transmission dynamics alongside behavioural changes to explain outbreak features both at early stages (e.g., in estimating the basic reproduction number) and throughout an epidemic (e.g., in connecting shifts in the age of infection to periods of changing incidence).

From Clinical Trials

• Clinical Performance Evaluation of the Bio-Self™ COVID-19 Antigen Home Test - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Device: Bio-Self COVID-19 Antigen Home Test;   Device: Standard of Care COVID-19 Test;   Diagnostic Test: RT-PCR Test
  Sponsors:   BioTeke USA, LLC;   CSSi Life Sciences
  Not yet recruiting

• Functional Capacity in Patients Post Mild COVID-19 - Condition:   COVID-19
  Intervention:   Device: Cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET)
  Sponsor:   Rambam Health Care Campus
  Recruiting

• Circuit Training Program in Post COVID-19 Patients - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Other: Circuit Training Exercise Program;   Other: Aerobic Training Exercise Program
  Sponsor:   Riphah International University
  Recruiting

• A Study to Evaluate the Immunogenicity and Safety of Two Recombinant Protein COVID-19 Vaccines in Population Aged ≥18 Years as Booster Vaccines - Conditions:   COVID-19;   SARS-CoV-2 Infection
  Interventions:   Biological: SCTV01C;   Biological: SCTV01E;   Biological: Sinopharm inactivated COVID-19 vaccine;   Biological: mRNA-1273
  Sponsor:   Sinocelltech Ltd.
  Not yet recruiting

• A Study to Evaluate the Immunogenicity and Safety of a Recombinant Protein COVID-19 Vaccine in Population Aged ≥18 Years - Conditions:   SARS-CoV-2 Infection;   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Biological: SCTV01E;   Biological: Comirnaty
  Sponsor:   Sinocelltech Ltd.
  Not yet recruiting

• Evaluate the Safety and Immunogenicity of Ad5 COVID-19 Vaccines for Booster Use in Children Aged 6-17 Years. - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Biological: 1 Nebulized inhalation for booster groups;   Biological: 2 Nebulized inhalation for booster groups;   Biological: 3 Nebulized inhalation for booster groups;   Biological: 4 Nebulized inhalation for booster groups;   Biological: 5 Intramuscular injection for booster groups;   Biological: 6 Intramuscular injection for booster groups;   Biological: 7 Intramuscular injection for booster groups;   Biological: 8 Intramuscular injection for booster groups;   Biological: 9 Intramuscular injection for booster groups;   Biological: 10 Intramuscular injection for booster groups;   Biological: 11 Nebulized inhalation for booster groups;   Biological: 12 Nebulized inhalation for booster groups;   Biological: 13 Nebulized inhalation for booster groups;   Biological: 14 Nebulized inhalation for booster groups;   Biological: 15 Intramuscular injection for booster groups;   Biological: 16 Intramuscular injection for booster groups;   Biological: 17 Intramuscular injection for booster groups;   Biological: 18 Intramuscular injection for booster groups;   Biological: 19 Intramuscular injection for booster groups;   Biological: 20 Intramuscular injection for booster groups;   Biological: 21 Nebulized inhalation for primary groups;   Biological: 22 Nebulized inhalation for primary groups;   Biological: 23 Nebulized inhalation for primary groups;   Biological: 24 Nebulized inhalation for primary groups
  Sponsor:  
  Seventh Medical Center of PLA General Hospital
  Not yet recruiting

• Non-inferiority Trial on Treatments in Early COVID-19 - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Drug: Sotrovimab;   Drug: Tixagevimab Cilgavimab;   Drug: Nirmatrelvir Ritonavir
  Sponsors:   Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata Verona;   Agenzia Italiana del Farmaco;   Azienda Sanitaria-Universitaria Integrata di Udine
  Recruiting

• Immunogenicity and Safety Study of Recombinant Two-Component COVID-19 Vaccine (CHO Cell)(ReCOV) - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Biological: Recombinant two-component COVID-19 vaccine (CHO cell);   Biological: COVID-19 Vaccine (Vero Cell), Inactivated
  Sponsor:   Jiangsu Rec- Biotechnology Co., Ltd.
  Not yet recruiting

• Immunogenicity，Safety and Cross - Immune Response With the Strains of the Booster Immunization Using an Inactivated COVID-19 Vaccine - Condition:   COVID-19
  Intervention:   Biological: Inactivated COVID-19 Vaccine
  Sponsor:   Sinovac Research and Development Co., Ltd.
  Not yet recruiting

• Aerobic Exercise and Covid-19 Survivors With Post-Intensive Care Syndrome (Pics) - Conditions:   COVID-19;   Post Intensive Care Syndrome
  Interventions:  
  Other: Aerobic Exercise Training;   Other: Home Plan
  Sponsor:   Riphah International University
  Not yet recruiting

• Efficacy and Safety of JT001 (VV116) Compared With Paxlovid - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Drug: JT001;   Drug: Paxlovid
  Sponsor:  
  Vigonvita Life Sciences
  Recruiting

• Interleukine 6 (IL6) Assay for Predicting Failure of Spontaneous Breathing in Patients With COVID-19 Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome - Condition:   COVID-19 Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome
  Interventions:  
  Biological: IL6 assessment;   Biological: CRP and PCT assessment
  Sponsor:  
  Centre Hospitalier Henri Duffaut - Avignon
  Recruiting

• A Single Arm Phase-IV Study to Determine Reactogenicity and Immunogenicity of Delayed COVID-19 Vaccine Schedule in Children - Conditions:   Vaccine Reaction;   COVID-19;   Children, Only
  Intervention:  
  Biological: BNT162b2 Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty
  Sponsors:   KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital;   Duke- NUS Graduate Medical School
  Recruiting

• Pilot Trial on Immunosuppression Modulation to Increase SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Response in Kidney Transplant Recipients - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Other: Immunosuppression reduction;   Other: No immunosuppression reduction
  Sponsor:   Medical University of Vienna
  Active, not recruiting

• ABNCoV2 Vaccine in Adult Subjects Previously Vaccinated for SARS-CoV-2 - Condition:   COVID-19 Disease
  Interventions:   Biological: ABNCoV2;   Biological: Comirnaty
  Sponsor:   Bavarian Nordic
  Not yet recruiting

From PubMed

• JAK inhibitors and COVID-19 - During SARS-CoV-2 infection, the innate immune response can be inhibited or delayed, and the subsequent persistent viral replication can induce emergency signals that may culminate in a cytokine storm contributing to the severe evolution of COVID-19. Cytokines are key regulators of the immune response and virus clearance, and, as such, are linked to the- possibly altered-response to the SARS-CoV-2. They act via a family of more than 40 transmembrane receptors that are coupled to one or several of…

• Anti-SARS-CoV-2 potential of Cissampelos pareira L. identified by connectivity map-based analysis and in vitro studies - BACKGROUND: Viral infections have a history of abrupt and severe eruptions through the years in the form of pandemics. And yet, definitive therapies or preventive measures are not present. Herbal medicines have been a source of various antiviral compounds such as Oseltamivir, extracted using shikimic acid from star anise (Illicium verum) and Acyclovir from Carissa edulis are FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved antiviral drugs. In this study, we dissect the anti- coronavirus infection…

• The Importance of Nutraceuticals in COVID-19: What’s the Role of Resveratrol? - Since COVID-19 has affected global public health, there has been an urgency to find a solution to limit both the number of infections, and the aggressiveness of the disease once infected. The main characteristic of this infection is represented by a strong alteration of the immune system which, day by day, increases the risk of mortality, and can lead to a multiorgan dysfunction. Because nutritional profile can influence patient’s immunity, we focus our interest on resveratrol, a polyphenolic…

• Unique Mode of Antiviral Action of a Marine Alkaloid against Ebola Virus and SARS-CoV-2 - Lamellarin α 20-sulfate is a cell-impenetrable marine alkaloid that can suppress infection that is mediated by the envelope glycoprotein of human immunodeficiency virus type 1. We explored the antiviral action and mechanisms of this alkaloid against emerging enveloped RNA viruses that use endocytosis for infection. The alkaloid inhibited the infection of retroviral vectors that had been pseudotyped with the envelope glycoprotein of Ebola virus and SARS-CoV-2. The antiviral effects of lamellarin…

• Antiviral Efficacy of Molnupiravir for COVID-19 Treatment - The ongoing global pandemic of COVID-19 poses unprecedented public health risks for governments and societies around the world, which have been exacerbated by the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants. Pharmaceutical interventions with high antiviral efficacy are expected to delay and contain the COVID-19 pandemic. Molnupiravir, as an oral antiviral prodrug, is active against SARS-CoV-2 and is now (23 February 2022) one of the seven widely-used coronavirus treatments. To estimate its antiviral…

• SARS-CoV-2 Infects Human ACE2-Negative Endothelial Cells through an α_vβ₃ Integrin-Mediated Endocytosis Even in the Presence of Vaccine-Elicited Neutralizing Antibodies - Integrins represent a gateway of entry for many viruses and the Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) motif is the smallest sequence necessary for proteins to bind integrins. All Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Virus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) lineages own an RGD motif (aa 403-405) in their receptor binding domain (RBD). We recently showed that SARS-CoV-2 gains access into primary human lung microvascular endothelial cells (HL-mECs) lacking Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) expression through this conserved RGD…

• Inhibition of the IFN-α JAK/STAT Pathway by MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-1 Proteins in Human Epithelial Cells - Coronaviruses (CoVs) have caused several global outbreaks with relatively high mortality rates, including Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS)-CoV, which emerged in 2012, and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)-CoV-1, which appeared in 2002. The recent emergence of SARS-CoV-2 highlights the need for immediate and greater understanding of the immune evasion mechanisms used by CoVs. Interferon (IFN)-α is the body’s natural antiviral agent, but its Janus kinase/signal transducer…

• A Modified Fibronectin Type III Domain-Conjugated, Long-Acting Pan-Coronavirus Fusion Inhibitor with Extended Half- Life - The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by infection of SARS-CoV-2 and its variants has posed serious threats to global public health, thus calling for the development of potent and broad-spectrum antivirals. We previously designed and developed a peptide-based pan-coronavirus (CoV) fusion inhibitor, EK1, which is effective against all human CoVs (HCoV) tested by targeting the HCoV S protein HR1 domain. However, its relatively short half-life may limit its clinical use….

• Vitamin D: A Role Also in Long COVID-19? - Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has quickly become a global pandemic. Reports from different parts of the world indicate that a significant proportion of people who have recovered from COVID-19 are suffering from various health problems collectively referred to as “long COVID-19”. Common symptoms include fatigue, shortness of breath, cough, joint pain, chest pain, muscle aches, headaches, and so on. Vitamin D is an immunomodulatory hormone with proven efficacy against various upper…

• Evaluation of Coping Strategies among Students with Type D Personality - CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated a link between personality type D and maladaptive coping strategies. The predominance of the maladaptive coping strategy in type D is a possible point of application for psychosocial training in such individuals that requires further research.

• Anti-Inflammatory and Antiviral Effects of Cannabinoids in Inhibiting and Preventing SARS-CoV-2 Infection - The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus made it necessary to search for new options for both causal treatment and mitigation of its symptoms. Scientists and researchers around the world are constantly looking for the best therapeutic options. These difficult circumstances have also spurred the re-examination of the potential of natural substances contained in Cannabis sativa L. Cannabinoids, apart from CB1 and CB2 receptors, may act multifacetedly through a number of other…

• STAT1 and Its Crucial Role in the Control of Viral Infections - The signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) 1 protein plays a key role in the immune response against viruses and other pathogens by transducing, in the nucleus, the signal from type I, type II and type III IFNs. STAT1 activates the transcription of hundreds of genes, some of which have been well characterized for their antiviral properties. STAT1 gene deletion in mice and complete STAT1 deficiency in humans both cause rapid death from severe infections. STAT1 plays a key role in…

• Peptide-Based Vaccine against SARS-CoV-2: Peptide Antigen Discovery and Screening of Adjuvant Systems - The SARS-CoV-2 virus has caused a global crisis, resulting in 0.5 billion infections and over 6 million deaths as of March 2022. Fortunately, infection and hospitalization rates were curbed due to the rollout of DNA and mRNA vaccines. However, the efficacy of these vaccines significantly drops a few months post immunization, from 88% down to 47% in the case of the Pfizer BNT162 vaccine. The emergence of variant strains, especially delta and omicron, have also significantly reduced vaccine…

• CFTR Modulation Reduces SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Human Bronchial Epithelial Cells - People with cystic fibrosis should be considered at increased risk of developing severe symptoms of COVID-19. Strikingly, a broad array of evidence shows reduced spread of SARS-CoV-2 in these subjects, suggesting a potential role for CFTR in the regulation of SARS-CoV-2 infection/replication. Here, we analyzed SARS-CoV-2 replication in wild-type and CFTR-modified human bronchial epithelial cell lines and primary cells to investigate SARS-CoV-2 infection in people with cystic fibrosis. Both…

• SMYD2 Inhibition Downregulates TMPRSS2 and Decreases SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Human Intestinal and Airway Epithelial Cells - The COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has lasted for more than two years. Despite the presence of very effective vaccines, the number of virus variants that escape neutralizing antibodies is growing. Thus, there is still a need for effective antiviral treatments that target virus replication independently of the circulating variant. Here, we show for the first time that deficiency or pharmacological inhibition of the cellular lysine-methyltransferase SMYD2 decreases TMPRSS2 expression on…

From Patent Search

• SYSTEM FOR MONITORING COVID-19 PATIENTS USING A VIRTUAL TELEPRESENCE ROBOT - Attached Separately - link

• MASCARA FACIAL PARA LA INHALACION DE SUBSTANCIAS NEBULIZADAS, CON SISTEMA DE ASPIRACION INCORPORADO - - link

• MACHINE LEARNING TECHNIQUE TO ANALYZE THE WORK PRESSURE OF PARAMEDICAL STAFF DURING COVID 19 - Machine learning technique to analyse the work pressure of paramedical staff during covid 19 is the proposed invention that focuses on identifying the stress levels of paramedical staff. The invention focuses on analysing the level of stress that is induced on the paramedical staff especially during pandemic. - link

• 一种吡咯烷酮中间体的合成方法 - 本发明涉及药物中间体合成技术领域，尤其是一种吡咯烷酮中间体的合成方法，包括以下步骤：化合物1溶液和有机锂试剂溶液泵入连续反应器，反应生成锂氢交换中间体，再泵入卤代乙腈与中间态发生反应生成化合物2；化合物2用固定床反应装置内进行氢化反应，后处理得到化合物3；将化合物3的溶液和氨水溶液泵入连续反应器生成酰胺化合物4；化合物4和脱水剂使用恒流泵泵入连续化反应器，生成化合物5或其氨基上有保护基的中间体；应用串联连续反应技术，将传统釜式数步反应改进为连续化工艺，解决了传统釜式反应的放大效应问题，降低了含金属试剂以及高压氢化等危险反应的安全风险进而避免了超低温反应釜和高压氢化釜等设备，提高了生产效率。 - link

• 一株表达新冠病毒S1蛋白单克隆抗体杂交瘤细胞系及中和活性抗体 - 本发明属于细胞工程与免疫学领域，具体涉及一株表达新冠病毒S1蛋白单克隆抗体杂交瘤细胞系及中和活性抗体。本发明筛选获得一株能高效稳定分泌表达新冠病毒S1蛋白单克隆抗体的杂交瘤细胞系以及其分泌的新冠病毒S1蛋白单克隆抗体；利用普通细胞培养皿培养本发明的重组杂交瘤细胞系，产量可达10mg/L，且纯度能达90%以上；本发明的单抗具有高中和活性，单抗浓度为0.00103μg/mL时即可抑制50％以上新冠假病毒活性，是目前所报告的新冠单抗中和活性最佳的。本发明提供的杂交瘤细胞系或单克隆抗体在新冠病毒的血清学检测、制备新冠病毒感染的试剂或药物及制备新冠病毒抗原或抗体检测的试剂中具有重要的应用价值。 - link

• 基于SARS-CoV-2的S蛋白的疫苗及其用途 - 本公开提供了基于SARS‑CoV‑2的S蛋白的疫苗及其用途，并具体涉及重组SARS‑CoV‑2刺突蛋白(S蛋白)及编码其的mRNA和DNA。本公开还涉及包含编码重组S蛋白的DNA序列的重组质粒。本公开的重组质粒经转录得到mRNA，其包含SEQ ID NO.12所示的序列。本公开进一步涉及包含前述mRNA的mRNA‑载体颗粒例如脂质纳米颗粒(LNP)和组合物例如疫苗组合物。 - link

• CBD Covid 19 Protection - - link

• 一种双价可电离脂质化合物、组合物及其应用 - 本发明涉及核酸药物递送技术领域，特别是关于一种双价可电离脂质化合物、组合物及其应用。本发明提供多种可以递送核酸药物的可电离阳离子脂质，具备较强的可设计性、可生物降解性及高效的体内外转染效率，由其组成的脂质纳米递送系统用于递送mRNA，在细胞水平上，优于目前上市的产品，并且在动物水平也具有良好的递送效率，可以作为核酸药物的递送新的方法，促进核酸药物的发展。 - link

• 一种双价可电离脂质化合物、组合物及其应用 - 本发明涉及核酸药物递送技术领域，特别是关于一种双价可电离脂质化合物、组合物及其应用。本发明提供多种可以递送核酸药物的可电离阳离子脂质，具备较强的可设计性、可生物降解性及高效的体内外转染效率，由其组成的脂质纳米递送系统用于递送mRNA，在细胞水平上，优于目前上市的产品，并且在动物水平也具有良好的递送效率，可以作为核酸药物的递送新的方法，促进核酸药物的发展。 - link

• 新冠肺炎CT图像分割方法及终端设备 - 本发明公开了一种新冠肺炎CT图像分割方法及终端设备，方法包括获取待分割新冠肺炎CT图像；将该图像输入至训练好的分割模型中，得到新冠肺炎病灶区域的图像；其中分割模型包括依次连接的多个下采样模块和下采样模块对应的上采样模块；每个采样模块均包括依次连接的第一提取单元和第二提取单元；上述两个提取单元的卷积模块均为结构重参数化卷积模块。本发明的结构重参数化卷积模块为训练时使用多分支结构，加强模型表达能力，推理时使用单路结构，加快推理速度，快速得出诊断结果。同时，为从不同尺度特征图中学习分层表示，加强模型对图像边缘信息提取，并使梯度更快回流，上采样每一侧输出都连接混合损失函数，实现图像的像素级分割。 - link