- Evidence of prothrombotic factors associated with COVID-19 complications: a scoping review protocol -
Objective: Scope review of the literature to assess the involvement of organs and systems and the existence of an association of prothrombotic factors with the complications of individuals infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Introduction: The COVID-19 Syndrome in individuals who develop thromboembolic complications motivates this study. Understanding the phenotypic expression of these complications is motivating. The unknown cause-and-effect relationship of complications encourages the search for clarification through this literature scope review, hoping to find indicators of association between thromboembolic phenomena and complications in individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2. Inclusion criteria: Primary studies on complications of COVID-19 associated with thrombosis, published as of January 2020 in English, will be the primary focus. I am expressing impairment of organs and systems by clinical complications of those infected with SARS-CoV-2. Methods: The proposed scope review will be guided by the J.B.I. (Joana Brigs Institute) Methodology and PRISMA-ScR protocol. The database will be MEDLINE via PubMed, and the population of selected articles will be divided into 3 phases (screening, filtering, and sampling) of data extraction and stored in sequenced worksheets with sorted data. Electronic tools will contribute to referencing sources (Software_EndNote), data selection (Software_Rayyan), classification, and database (Software_Excel). The results presented by diagrams should demonstrate the primary methodologies used in the studies under analysis, the clinical complications of COVID, and evidence on risk factors from the cohort studies.
- Gender and Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Undergraduate and Graduate Students’ Mental Health and Treatment Use amid the COVID-19 Pandemic -
Objective: To investigate gender and racial/ethnic disparities in mental health and treatment use in college and graduate students amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: Based on a large-scale online survey (N = 1,415) administered during the weeks following a pandemic-related university-wide campus closure in March 2020, we examined gender and racial disparities in current internalizing severity and treatment use with t-tests and logistic regression models. Results: Specifically, we found that students with marginalized gender (e.g., woman [p < .001], non-binary gender [p < .001]) or Hispanic/Latinx identity (p = .002) reported higher levels of internalizing problem severity compared to their privileged counterparts (e.g., man, non- Hispanic/Latinx White). Regarding treatment use, Asian (p < .001) and multiracial students (p = .002) reported lower treatment use after controlling for internalizing problem severity. Internalizing severity was generally associated with higher treatment use (logit = 0.53, p = .001), indicating a match of objective needs with service use. However, this relationship was offset by a negative interaction between internalizing problem severity and Asian (logit = -0.49, p < .001) or Black identity (logit = -0.57, p = .03) in predicting treatment use. Conclusion: The findings revealed unique mental health challenges faced by different demographic groups and served as a call that specific actions to enhance mental health equity, such as continued mental health support for students with marginalized gender identities, additional COVID-related mental and practical support for Hispanic/Latinx students, and promotion of mental health awareness and trust in Asian/Black students, are desperately needed.
- Vitamin S: Why is Social Contact, Even with Strangers, so Important to Well-Being? -
Even before COVID-19, it was well-known in psychological science that our well-being is strongly served by the quality of our close relationships. But is our well-being also served by social contact with people we know less well? In this article, we discuss three propositions to support the conclusion that the benefits of social contact also derive from interactions with acquaintances and even strangers. The propositions state that most interaction situations with strangers are benign (Proposition 1), that most strangers are benign (Proposition 2), and that most interactions with strangers enhance well-being (Proposition 3). These propositions are supported, first, by recent research designed to illuminate the primary features of interaction situations, showing that situations with strangers often represent low conflict of interest. Second, in our interactions with strangers, most people exhibit high levels of low-cost cooperation (social mindfulness) and high-cost helping if help to strangers is urgent. We close by sharing research examples which show that even very subtle interactions with strangers yield short-term happiness. Broader implications for COVID-19 and urbanization are discussed.
- Disparities in COVID-19-related trauma and internalizing symptoms across sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, and their intersection during the pandemic -
Sexual minority individuals face elevated risk for internalizing problems due to minority stress, and internalizing problems may have been exacerbated with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study examined sexual orientation- and race/ethnicity-related mental health disparities during the first four months of COVID-19 stay-at-home orders. We investigated disparities in COVID-19-related trauma (CRT) and internalizing symptoms (depression, anxiety) in a university community sample via surveys in March-April (Wave 1) and May-June 2020 (Wave 2) cross-sectionally using t-tests and longitudinally using residualized change score regressions. The analytic sample (N = 646; M age = 25.70, SD age = 10.16 at Wave 1) comprised 350 (54.2%) non-Hispanic White and 296 (45.8%) racial/ethnic minority participants; and 514 (79.6%) heterosexual and 132 (20.4%) sexual minority participants. Except for Wave 1 CRT, sexual minority individuals reported greater symptomatology than heterosexual individuals across all outcomes at each wave and racial/ethnic minority individuals reported no differences in outcomes compared to non-Hispanic White individuals. Longitudinally, sexual minority individuals reported less recovery from CRT compared to heterosexual individuals. No similar longitudinal disparities were identified across race/ethnicity. These findings build upon a growing body of literature of mental health disparities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results highlight the importance of examining CRT to understand the effects of the pandemic on minoritized populations, particularly sexual minority individuals. Further work is needed to elucidate the potential exacerbating effects of minority stress on these disparities.
- Loss of Mental Health Support Among College Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic -
Purpose. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated mental health concerns among college students. At the same time, pandemic response measures have made it more challenging for many students to access mental health support. However, little is known about the extent of mental health support loss among college students, or which students have lost support. This study investigated the scope of mental health support loss during the COVID-19 pandemic in a large university sample, as well as the factors associated with loss of support. Methods. Students completed an online questionnaire between March and May of 2020. Researchers examined the extent of mental health support loss in this sample and how support loss differed by a variety of demographic and mental health symptom variables. Methods were pre-registered at https://osf.io/m83hz. Results. Of n = 415 respondents, 62% reported loss of mental health support. Loss of support was associated with more severe depression symptoms (p < .001), more severe anxiety symptoms (p < .001), the presence of suicidal ideation (p < .001), and sexual minority identity (p = .017). Conclusions. Colleges and universities should be aware that many students have lost access to mental health support during the COVID-19 pandemic, and that students with more severe mental health symptoms, as well as sexual minority students, may be particularly vulnerable. Colleges and universities should make efforts to connect these students with sources of mental health support.
- College student interest in teletherapy and self-guided mental health supports during the COVID-19 pandemic -
Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened college students’ mental health while simultaneously creating new barriers to traditional in-person care. Teletherapy and online self-guided mental health supports are two potential avenues for addressing unmet mental health needs when face-to-face services are less accessible, but little is known about factors that shape interest in these supports. Participants: 1,224 U.S. undergraduate students (mean age=20.7; 72.5% female; 40.0% White) participated. Methods: Students completed an online questionnaire assessing interest in teletherapy and self-guided supports. Predictors included age, sex, ethnicity, sexual minority status, and anxiety and depression symptomatology. Results: Interest rates were 20% and 25% for at-cost supports and 70% and 72% for free supports. Older age, higher anxiety symptomatology, and identifying as Asian significantly predicted greater interest levels. Conclusions: Results may inform universities’ efforts to optimize students’ engagement with nontraditional, digital mental health supports, including teletherapy and self-guided programs.
- Honesty-Humility, beliefs, and prosocial behaviour: A test on stockpiling during the COVID-19 pandemic -
Increasing evidence links personality to prosocial behaviour. HEXACO Honesty-Humility, in particular, has been linked to prosocial behaviour when it comes with a personal cost. Yet, evidence for such a link is mostly limited to the laboratory, although social dilemmas abound in daily life. Emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic pose salient conflicts of interests between individual and societal welfare. One example is the run on many basic goods in the anticipation of lockdowns. Such social dilemmas afford the expression of personality traits associated with individual differences in prosocial behaviour. Indeed, across two studies (N = 601), Honesty-Humility was positively, albeit weakly associated with refraining from stockpiling in the past and intentions to do so in the future. Causal mediation analysis shows that this was not due to differences in beliefs that others would refrain from stockpiling. Instead, results suggest that faced with a social dilemma, individuals high in Honesty-Humility may have been willing to forego individual benefit. This provides rare evidence on the relationship between Honesty-Humility and prosocial behaviour in a field setting.
- Real-time forecasting of COVID-19-related hospital strain in France using a non-Markovian mechanistic model -
Background Projects such as the European Covid-19 Forecast Hub publish forecasts on the national level for new deaths, new cases, and hospital admissions, but not direct measurements of hospital strain like critical care bed occupancy at the sub-national level, which is of particular interest to health professionals for planning purposes. Methods We present a sub-national French framework for forecasting hospital strain based on a non-Markovian compartmental model, its associated online visualisation tool and a retrospective evaluation of the real-time forecasts it provided from January to December 2021 by comparing to three standard statistical forecasting methods (auto-regression, exponential smoothing, and ARIMA). Results For anticipating risk of critical care unit overload, our model performed worse than pure statistical methods at the one- and two-week horizons, but had better point forecasts at the four-week horizon for 8 of the 13 regions considered. Our model also suffered from over-confidence with respect to its prediction intervals. Conclusions Online visualisation tools and consideration of how metrics can be affected by distortion from non-pharmaceutical government interventions are essential in the assessment of forecasting models for hospital strain.
- Is there an evolutionary advantage conferred by having a share of conspiracy theorists within a population? -
This article is a reflection proposing an ecologically plausible motive and an epigenetically-controlled mechanism to explain the otherwise unexplainable behaviour that leads remarkably consistent fractions of the population to choose totally irrational standpoints irrespective of their level of intelligence or education. It stems from three independent pieces of evidence, each of which is ascertained common knowledge, and which are hereby linked together: #1: A non-negligible rate of the members of every nation’s population takes and keeps positions that are against mainstream opinions, also when such choice turns out to be totally detrimental for their own social life, credibility, employment, and/or health. The massive anti-vaccination coming-out in response to Covid-19 emergency has uncovered the extent of these phenomena and put in evidence the absence of correlation with education level and intellective qualities of people, involving even rather successful and bright individuals as Nobel laureates disregarding their loss of reputation, or top sport players missing chances to win trophies and to maintain sponsored contracts. #2: In biology, a given rate of mutant phenotypes involving a minority of the population, is at the basis of the Darwinian selection process. Although some mutations could affect the fitness of the individuals bearing them, the process can ensure species survival in the unlikely circumstance that a temporally and spatially unpredictable event would occur, for which the mutant trait would result the right match to avoid negative consequences. It is as if, once in a thousand times, an otherwise weird and self-harming choice would result the winning one. And, in order to avoid that all the progeny descending from the survivor would carry the ‘crimpled’ phenotype, in evolved lineages, mutation mechanisms can use epigenetic instead of genetic circuitries, allowing clean genome reset at reproduction. #3: Epigenetics has nowadays been shown to occur also at behavioural level, regulating human neurological expression, affecting social conduct, impulsive actions and connected beliefs. Putting the pieces together, # 2 is the motive and #3 is the mechanism that explain #1.
- Production and performance assessment of a SARS-CoV-2 biomimetic in a verification program for pandemic readiness -
During the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic in South Africa, one of many challenges included availability of control material proficiency testing programs. Control material utilising live SARS-CoV-2 or RNA extracted from cell culture was either biohazardous and costly, particularly in resource limited settings. Here, we report the development and application of a non-infectious SARS-CoV-2 biomimetic Mycobacterium smegmatis strain that mimics a positive result in the GeneXpert SARS-CoV-2 Xpert Xpress cartridge. Nucleotide sequences located in genes encoding the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, the nucleocapsid and the envelope proteins were used. The resulting biomimetic was prepared as a Quality Control specimen and distributed to laboratories in South Africa for validation prior to testing of clinical specimens. Between April 2020 and December 2020, a total of 151 instruments were validated to bring Covid-19 mass testing online. These instruments capacitated the country to perform tests in 2532 modules. False negative or false positive findings reflected issues such as workflow/technician error or other related technical issues. This non-infectious, easily scalable control material became available within two months after the start of the pandemic in South Africa and represents a useful approach to consider for other diseases and future pandemics.
- Complementary, Alternative, and Integrative Medicine-Specific COVID-19 Misinformation on Social Media: A Scoping Review -
Background: The sharing of health-related information has become increasingly popular on social media. Unregulated information sharing has led to the spread of misinformation, especially regarding complementary, alternative, and integrative medicine (CAIM). This scoping review synthesized evidence surrounding the spread of CAIM-related misinformation on social media during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This review was informed by a modified version of the Arksey and O’Malley scoping review framework. AMED, EMBASE, PsycINFO and MEDLINE databases were searched systematically from inception to January 2022. Eligible articles explored COVID-19 misinformation on social media and contained sufficient information on CAIM therapies. Common themes were identified using an inductive thematic analysis approach. Results: Twenty-eight articles were included. The following themes were synthesized: 1) misinformation prompts unsafe and harmful behaviours, 2) misinformation can be separated into different categories, 3) individuals are capable of identifying and refuting CAIM misinformation, 4) non-representative study samples have resulted in considerable generalizability issues, and 5) studies argue governments and social media companies have a responsibility to resolve the spread of COVID-19 misinformation. Conclusions: Misinformation can spread more easily when shared on social media. Our review suggests that misinformation about COVID-19 related to CAIM that is disseminated online contributes to unsafe health behaviours, however, this may be remedied via public education initiatives and stricter media guidelines. The results of this scoping review are crucial to understanding the behavioural impacts of the spread of COVID-19 misinformation about CAIM therapies, and can inform the development of public health policies to mitigate these issues.
- Alternative cell entry mechanisms for SARS-CoV-2 and multiple animal viruses -
The cell entry mechanism of SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of the COVID-19 pandemic, is not fully understood. Most animal viruses hijack cellular endocytic pathways as an entry route into the cell. Here, we show that in cells that do not express serine proteases such as TMPRSS2, genetic depletion of all dynamin isoforms blocked the uptake and strongly reduced infection with SARS-CoV-2 and its variant Delta. However, increasing the viral loads partially and dose-dependently restored infection via a thus far uncharacterized entry mechanism. Ultrastructural analysis by electron microscopy showed that this dynamin-independent endocytic processes appeared as 150-200 nm non-coated invaginations and was efficiently used by numerous mammalian viruses, including alphaviruses, influenza, vesicular stomatitis, bunya, adeno, vaccinia, and rhinovirus. Both the dynamin-dependent and dynamin-independent infection of SARS-CoV-2 required a functional actin cytoskeleton. In contrast, the alphavirus Semliki Forest virus, which is smaller in diameter, required actin only for the dynamin-independent entry. The presence of TMPRSS2 protease rescued SARS-CoV-2 infection in the absence of dynamins. Collectively, these results indicate that some viruses such as canine parvovirus and SARS-CoV-2 mainly rely on dynamin for endocytosis-dependent infection, while other viruses can efficiently bypass this requirement harnessing an alternative infection entry route dependent on actin.
- Lack of detection of SARS-CoV-2 in Wildlife from Kerala, India in 2020-21 -
Spill over of SARs-CoV-2 into a variety of wild and domestic animals has been an ongoing feature of the human pandemic. The establishment of a new reservoir in white tailed deer in North America and increasing divergence of the viruses circulating in them from those circulating in the human population has highlighted the ongoing risk this poses for global health. Some parts of the world have seen more intensive monitoring of wildlife species for SARS-CoV-2 and related coronaviruses but there are still very large gaps in geographical and species-specific information. This paper reports negative results for SARS-CoV-2 PCR based testing using a pan coronavirus end point RDRP PCR and a Sarbecovirus specific E gene qPCR on lung and or gut tissue from wildlife from the Indian State of Kerala. These animals included: 121 Rhinolophus rouxii (Rufous Horsehoe Bat), 6 Rhinolophus bedommei (Lesser Woolly Horseshoe Bat), 15 Rossettus leschenaultii (Fulvous Fruit Bat), 47 Macaca radiata (Bonnet macaques), 35 Paradoxurus hermaphroditus (Common Palm Civet), 5 Viverricula indica (Small Indian Civet), 4 Herpestes edwardsii (Common Mongoose), 10 Panthera tigris (Bengal Tiger), 8 Panthera pardus fusca (Indian Leopard), 4 Prionailurus bengalensis (Leopard cats), 2 Felis chaus (Jungle cats), 2 Cuon alpinus (Wild dogs), and 1 Melursus ursinus (sloth bear).
- Antigenic cartography using variant-specific hamster sera reveals substantial antigenic variation among Omicron subvariants -
SARS-CoV-2 has developed substantial antigenic variability. As the majority of the population now has pre-existing immunity due to infection or vaccination, the use of experimentally generated animal immune sera can be valuable for measuring antigenic differences between virus variants. Here, we immunized Syrian hamsters by two successive infections with one of eight SARS-CoV-2 variants. Their sera were titrated against 14 SARS-CoV-2 variants and the resulting titers visualized using antigenic cartography. The antigenic map shows a condensed cluster containing all pre-Omicron variants (D614G, Alpha, Delta, Beta, Mu, and an engineered B.1+E484K variant), and a considerably more distributed positioning among a selected panel of Omicron subvariants (BA.1, BA.2, BA.4/5, the BA.5 descendants BF.7 and BQ.1.18; the BA.2.75 descendant BN.1.3.1; and the BA.2-derived recombinant XBB.2). Some Omicron subvariants were as antigenically distinct from each other as the wildtype is from the Omicron BA.1 variant. The results highlight the potential of using variant-specifically infected hamster sera for the continued antigenic characterisation of SARS-CoV-2.
- Informing pandemic response in the face of uncertainty. An evaluation of the U.S. COVID-19 Scenario Modeling Hub -
Our ability to forecast epidemics more than a few weeks into the future is constrained by the complexity of disease systems, our limited ability to measure the current state of an epidemic, and uncertainties in how human action will affect transmission. Realistic longer-term projections (spanning more than a few weeks) may, however, be possible under defined scenarios that specify the future state of critical epidemic drivers, with the additional benefit that such scenarios can be used to anticipate the comparative effect of control measures. Since December 2020, the U.S. COVID-19 Scenario Modeling Hub (SMH) has convened multiple modeling teams to make 6-month ahead projections of the number of SARS-CoV-2 cases, hospitalizations and deaths. The SMH released nearly 1.8 million national and state-level projections between February 2021 and November 2022. SMH performance varied widely as a function of both scenario validity and model calibration. Scenario assumptions were periodically invalidated by the arrival of unanticipated SARS-CoV-2 variants, but SMH still provided projections on average 22 weeks before changes in assumptions (such as virus transmissibility) invalidated scenarios and their corresponding projections. During these periods, before emergence of a novel variant, a linear opinion pool ensemble of contributed models was consistently more reliable than any single model, and projection interval coverage was near target levels for the most plausible scenarios (e.g., 79% coverage for 95% projection interval). SMH projections were used operationally to guide planning and policy at different stages of the pandemic, illustrating the value of the hub approach for long-term scenario projections.
COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Counseling Intervention for Pharmacists - Condition: COVID-19
Interventions: Behavioral: Standard implementation webinar and online training; Behavioral: Virtual facilitation
Sponsors: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; University of Arkansas; University of South Carolina; National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)
Not yet recruiting
LUSZ Treatment Efficacy in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients - Conditions: COVID-19; Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients
Interventions: Drug: Lopinavir / Ritonavir; Drug: Remdesivir (RDV); Drug: Tocilizumab; Other: Corticosteroid Therapy-enhanced Standard Care (CTSC)
Sponsors: Lebanese University; Hospital Saydet Zgharta University Medical Center
Recruiting
Comprehensive Imaging Exam of Convalesced COVID-19 Patients - Conditions: COVID-19; COVID Long-Haul
Interventions: Other: Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Other: Ultra-High Resolution Computed Tomography (CT) Scan
Sponsors: Johns Hopkins University; Canon Medical Systems, USA
Enrolling by invitation
UNAIR Inactivated COVID-19 Vaccine as Heterologue Booster (Immunobridging Study) - Conditions: COVID-19 Pandemic; COVID-19 Vaccines
Interventions: Biological: Vaksin Merah Putih - UA SARS-CoV-2 (Vero Cell Inactivated) 5 µg; Biological: CoronaVac Biofarma COVID-1 9 Vaccine 3 µg
Sponsors: Dr. Soetomo General Hospital; Indonesia-MoH; Universitas Airlangga; Biotis Pharmaceuticals, Indonesia
Recruiting
Immunogenicity and Safety Study of SCB-2023 Vaccine as a Booster in Adults - Condition: COVID-19
Interventions: Biological: SCB-2023 vaccine (trivalent), a recombinant SARS-CoV-2 trimeric S-protein subunit vaccine for COVID-19; intramuscular injection; Biological: SCB-2019 (monovalent), a recombinant SARS-CoV-2 trimeric S-protein subunit vaccine for COVID-19; intramuscular injection
Sponsor: Clover Biopharmaceuticals AUS Pty Ltd
Not yet recruiting
The Safety and Immunogenicity Following a Heterologous Booster Dose of Recombinant SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine LYB002 - Condition: COVID-19
Interventions: Biological: LYB002V14; Biological: LYB002V14A; Biological: LYB002CA
Sponsors: Guangzhou Patronus Biotech Co., Ltd.; Yantai Patronus Biotech Co., Ltd.; Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College
Active, not recruiting
Evaluate the Safety and Immunogenicity of Different Booster Dose Levels of Monovalent and Bivalent SARS-CoV-2 rS Vaccines in Adults ≥ 50 Years - Condition: COVID-19
Interventions: Biological: NVX-CoV2540 (5, 10, 25 μg); Biological: NVX-CoV2373 (5 μg); Biological: Bivalent BA.4/5 Omicron subvariant
Sponsor: Novavax
Not yet recruiting
Evaluating the Efficacy of Remdesivir for Long COVID Following a Confirmed COVID-19 Infection. - Conditions: SARS-CoV-2 Infection; COVID-19
Intervention: Drug: Remdesivir
Sponsors: University of Derby; University of Exeter; Peninsula Clinical Trials Unit; University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust
Not yet recruiting
The Immunogenicity and Safety Following a Heterologous Booster Dose of Recombinant SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine LYB001 - Conditions: COVID-19; Vaccine Reaction
Interventions: Biological: LYB001; Biological: CoronaVac
Sponsors: Guangzhou Patronus Biotech Co., Ltd.; Yantai Patronus Biotech Co., Ltd.; Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College
Active, not recruiting
SAFETY AND EFFICACY OF ANAKINRA TREATMENT FOR PATIENTS WITH POST ACUTE COVID SYNDROME - Condition: Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome
Interventions: Drug: Placebo; Drug: Anakinra 149 MG/ML Prefilled Syringe [Kineret]
Sponsor: Hellenic Institute for the Study of Sepsis
Not yet recruiting
The Effect of Smart Sensor Combined With APP for Individualized Precise Exercise Training in Long Covid-19 - Conditions: Coronavirus Disease; COVID-19; Long Covid-19; Telerehabilitation
Interventions: Device: KNEESUP smart knee assistive device + KNEESUP care APP; Device: KNEESUP care APP; Behavioral: Healthy consulation
Sponsor: Shang-Lin Chiang
Recruiting
Study on the Remote Diagnosis and Treatment Strategy of New-onset Insomnia Under the COVID-19 Epidemic - Conditions: Insomnia; CBT; Depression; Anxiety
Intervention: Device: CBTI online programe
Sponsor: Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University
Enrolling by invitation
Open Label Extension of Efgartigimod in Adults With Post-COVID-19 POTS - Condition: Post-COVID Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome
Intervention: Drug: Efgartigimod
Sponsors: argenx; Iqvia Pty Ltd
Recruiting
Digital Interventions to Understand and Mitigate Stress Response - Conditions: Distress, Emotional; Stress Response Among Nursing Professionals During the COVID-19; Stress Reaction; Acute
Intervention: Behavioral: Digital Intervention Group
Sponsors: Unity Health Toronto; Toronto Metropolitan University; University of Toronto; University of Ontario Institute of Technology; Boston University; University of Ottawa; Western University, Canada; Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Recruiting
PREPARE-iVAC Trial - Conditions: COVID-19 Vaccines; Varicella Zoster Vaccine; Vaccine Response; Immunosuppression
Intervention: Biological: COVID-19 vaccination
Sponsors: University Medical Center Groningen; Academisch Medisch Centrum - Universiteit van Amsterdam (AMC-UvA); Radboud University Medical Center; Erasmus Medical Center; UMC Utrecht; Leiden University Medical Center; Maastricht University Medical Center; ZonMw: The Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development
Not yet recruiting
The sesquiterpenes with the COVID-19 Mpro inhibitory activity from the Carpesium abrotanoides L - The extract of the whole plant of Carpesium abrotanoides L. yielded four new sesquiterpenes including a novel skeleton (claroguaiane A, 1), two guaianolides (claroguaianes B-C, 2-3), and one eudesmanolide (claroeudesmane A, 4), together with three known sesquiterpenoids (5-7). The structures of the new compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis especially 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy and HRESIMS data. Additionally, all the isolated compounds were preliminarily evaluated for the inhibitive…
Antimicrobial efficiency of chlorine dioxide and its potential use as anti-SARS-CoV-2 agent: mechanisms of action and interactions with gut microbiota - Chlorine dioxide (ClO2) is a disinfectant gas with strong antifungal, antibacterial, and antiviral activities. Applied on hard non-porous surfaces as an aqueous solution or gas, the ClO2 exerts antimicrobial activity through its interaction and destabilization of cell membrane proteins, as well as through DNA/RNA oxidation, triggering cell death. As for viruses, the ClO2 promotes protein denaturalization mechanisms preventing the union between the human cells and the viral envelope. Currently,…
MicroRNA 205-5p and COVID-19 adverse outcomes: Potential molecular biomarker and regulator of the immune response - Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an acute respiratory infection caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The uncontrolled systemic inflammatory response, resulting from the release of large amounts of pro-inflammatory cytokines, is the main mechanism behind severe acute respiratory syndrome and multiple organ failure, the two main causes of death in COVID-19. Epigenetic mechanisms, such as gene expression regulation by microRNAs (miRs), may be at the…
Cytokine Storm in Acute Viral Respiratory Injury: Role of Qing-Fei-Pai-Du Decoction in Inhibiting the Infiltration of Neutrophils and Macrophages through TAK1/IKK/NF-[Formula: see text]B Pathway - COVID-19 has posed unprecedented challenges to global public health since its outbreak. The Qing-Fei-Pai-Du decoction (QFPDD), a Chinese herbal formula, is widely used in China to treat COVID-19. It exerts an impressive therapeutic effect by inhibiting the progression from mild to critical disease in the clinic. However, the underlying mechanisms remain obscure. Both SARS-CoV-2 and influenza viruses elicit similar pathological processes. Their severe manifestations, such as acute respiratory…
ACE2-EGFR-MAPK signaling contributes to SARS-CoV-2 infection - SARS-CoV-2 triggered the most severe pandemic of recent times. To enter into a host cell, SARS-CoV-2 binds to the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). However, subsequent studies indicated that other cell membrane receptors may act as virus-binding partners. Among these receptors, the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) was hypothesized not only as a spike protein binder, but also to be activated in response to SARS-CoV-2. In our study, we aim at dissecting EGFR activation and its major…
ACP-Dnnel: anti-coronavirus peptides’ prediction based on deep neural network ensemble learning - The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has caused dramatic loss of human life. There is an urgent need for safe and efficient anti-coronavirus infection drugs. Anti-coronavirus peptides (ACovPs) can inhibit coronavirus infection. With high-efficiency, low-toxicity, and broad-spectrum inhibitory effects on coronaviruses, they are promising candidates to be developed into a new type of anti-coronavirus drug. Experiment is the traditional way of ACovPs’ identification, which is less efficient and more…
Cell surface nucleocapsid protein expression: A betacoronavirus immunomodulatory strategy - We recently reported that SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid (N) protein is abundantly expressed on the surface of both infected and neighboring uninfected cells, where it enables activation of Fc receptor-bearing immune cells with anti-N antibodies (Abs) and inhibits leukocyte chemotaxis by binding chemokines (CHKs). Here, we extend these findings to N from the common cold human coronavirus (HCoV)-OC43, which is also robustly expressed on the surface of infected and noninfected cells by binding heparan…
AI-guided pipeline for protein-protein interaction drug discovery identifies a SARS-CoV-2 inhibitor - Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) offer great opportunities to expand the druggable proteome and therapeutically tackle various diseases, but remain challenging targets for drug discovery. Here, we provide a comprehensive pipeline that combines experimental and computational tools to identify and validate PPI targets and perform early-stage drug discovery. We have developed a machine learning approach that prioritizes interactions by analyzing quantitative data from binary PPI assays and…
A single polymorphic residue in humans underlies species-specific restriction of HSV-1 by the antiviral protein MxB - Myxovirus resistance proteins (MxA and MxB) are interferon-induced proteins that exert antiviral activity against a diverse range of RNA and DNA viruses. In primates, MxA has been shown to inhibit myxoviruses, bunyaviruses, and hepatitis B virus, whereas MxB restricts retroviruses and herpesviruses. As a result of their conflicts with viruses, both genes have been undergoing diversifying selection during primate evolution. Here, we investigate how MxB evolution in primates has affected its…
PARP12 is required to repress the replication of a Mac1 mutant coronavirus in a cell and tissue specific manner - ADP-ribosyltransferases (ARTs) mediate the transfer of ADP-ribose from NAD ^(+) to protein or nucleic acid substrates. This modification can be removed by several different types of proteins, including macrodomains. Several ARTs, also known as PARPs, are stimulated by interferon, indicating ADP-ribosylation is an important aspect of the innate immune response. All coronaviruses (CoVs) encode for a highly conserved macrodomain (Mac1) that is critical for CoVs to replicate and cause disease,…
IgM N-glycosylation correlates with COVID-19 severity and rate of complement deposition - The glycosylation of IgG plays a critical role during human SARS-CoV-2, activating immune cells and inducing cytokine production. However, the role of IgM N-glycosylation has not been studied during acute viral infection in humans. In vitro evidence suggests that the glycosylation of IgM inhibits T cell proliferation and alters complement activation rates. The analysis of IgM N-glycosylation from healthy controls and hospitalized COVID-19 patients reveals that mannosylation and sialyation levels…
Involvement of a serotonin/GLP-1 circuit in adolescent isolation-induced diabetes - In 2020, stay-at-home orders were implemented to stem the spread of SARS-CoV-2 worldwide. Social isolation can be particularly harmful to children and adolescents-during the pandemic, the prevalence of obesity increased by ∼37% in persons aged 2-19. Obesity is often comorbid with type 2 diabetes, which was not assessed in this human pandemic cohort. Here, we investigated whether male mice isolated throughout adolescence develop type 2 diabetes in a manner consistent with human obesity-induced…
Universal features of Nsp1-mediated translational shutdown by coronaviruses - Nonstructural protein 1 (Nsp1) produced by coronaviruses shuts down host protein synthesis in infected cells. The C-terminal domain of SARS-CoV-2 Nsp1 was shown to bind to the small ribosomal subunit to inhibit translation, but it is not clear whether this mechanism is broadly used by coronaviruses, whether the N-terminal domain of Nsp1 binds the ribosome, or how Nsp1 specifically permits translation of viral mRNAs. Here, we investigated Nsp1 from three representative Betacoronaviruses -…
Saline nasal irrigation and gargling in COVID-19: a multidisciplinary review of effects on viral load, mucosal dynamics, and patient outcomes - With unrelenting SARS-CoV-2 variants, additional COVID-19 mitigation strategies are needed. Oral and nasal saline irrigation (SI) is a traditional approach for respiratory infections/diseases. As a multidisciplinary network with expertise/experience with saline, we conducted a narrative review to examine mechanisms of action and clinical outcomes associated with nasal SI, gargling, spray, or nebulization in COVID-19. SI was found to reduce SARS-CoV-2 nasopharyngeal loads and hasten viral…
Design, Synthesis and Structure-Activity Relationship Studies of Protein Kinase CK2 Inhibitors Containing a Purine Scaffold - Protein kinase CK2 (CK2) is involved in the suppression of gene expression, protein synthesis, cell proliferation, and apoptosis, thus making it a target protein for the development of therapeutics toward cancer, nephritis, and coronavirus disease 2019. Using the solvent dipole ordering-based method for virtual screening, we identified and designed new candidate CK2α inhibitors containing purine scaffolds. Virtual docking experiments supported by experimental structure-activity relationship…