Covid-19 Sentry

Contents

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

From Preprints

• Interaction quality among children, staff and parents in German ECEC centres in the COVID-19 pandemic - Results from a longitudinal study -
  Early Education and Care (ECEC) centres had implemented a variety of protective and hygiene measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of these measures temporarily restricted the behaviour of pedagogical staff, children and parents, for example keeping distance from each other or wearing face masks. This may have made it difficult for staff to offer high quality interactions with a positive, sensitive attitude towards children and parents, as would be important for good pedagogical work. Long-term effects of these distance measures on the quality of daily interactions in ECEC centres are largely unexplored. Based on a panel survey among German ECEC centre leaders over a period of one and a half years, we provide a long-term assessment of the impact of specific protective measures on different levels of interactions within ECEC centres, namely on staff-child interactions, interactions of children with each other and the cooperation between staff and parents. We found child-child interaction largely unaffected by the measures, while staff-parent interaction suffered the most. Communication with parents and regular implementation of pedagogical practices have a stabilizing effect, while keeping distance from children, face masks and (pandemic-related) staff shortages worsen staff-child interactions.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Interaction quality among children, staff and parents in German ECEC centres in the COVID-19 pandemic - Results from a longitudinal study
• Emotional Responses to a Global Stressor: Average Patterns and Individual Differences -
  Major stressors often challenge emotional well-being—increasing negative emotions and decreasing positive emotions. But how long do these emotional hits last? Prior theory and research contain conflicting views. Some research suggests that most individuals’ emotional well-being will return to, or even surpass, baseline levels relatively quickly. Others have challenged this view, arguing that this type of resilient response is uncommon. The present research provides a strong test of resilience theory by examining emotional trajectories over the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic. In two pre-registered longitudinal studies (total N =1,147), we examined average emotional trajectories and predictors of individual differences in emotional trajectories across 13 waves of data from February through September 2020. The pandemic had immediate detrimental effects on average emotional well-being. Across the next six months, average negative emotions returned to baseline levels with the greatest improvements occurring almost immediately. Yet, positive emotions remained depleted relative to baseline levels, illustrating the limits of typical resilience. Individuals differed substantially around these average emotional trajectories and these individual differences were predicted by socio-demographic characteristics and stressor exposure. We discuss theoretical implications of these findings that we hope will contribute to more nuanced approaches to studying, understanding, and improving emotional well-being following major stressors.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Emotional Responses to a Global Stressor: Average Patterns and Individual Differences
• Healthcare resource utilisation and costs of hospitalisation and primary care among adults with COVID-19 in England: a population-based cohort study -

  Objectives To quantify healthcare resource utilisation (HCRU) and costs to the National Health Service (NHS) associated with acute COVID-19 in adults in England. Design Population-based retrospective cohort study, using Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) Aurum primary care electronic medical records linked when available to Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) secondary care administrative data. Setting Patients registered to primary care practices in England. Population 1,706,368 adults with a positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR or antigen test from August 2020 to January 2022 were included; 13,105 within the hospitalised cohort indexed between August 2020 and March 2021, and 1,693,263 within the primary care cohort indexed between August 2020 and January 2022. Main outcome measures Primary and secondary care HCRU and associated costs during the acute phase of COVID-19 (≤4 weeks following positive test), stratified by age group, risk of severe COVID-19 and immunocompromised status. Results Among the hospitalised cohort, average total length of stay, as well as in critical care wards, was longer in older adults. Median healthcare cost per hospitalisation was higher in those aged 75 - 84 (£8,942) and ≥85 years (£8,835) than in those aged <50 years (£7,703). Whilst few (6.0%) patients in critical care required mechanical ventilation, its use was higher in older adults (50 - 74 years: 8.3%; <50 years: 4.3%). HCRU and associated costs were often greater in those at higher risk of severe COVID-19 when compared to the overall cohort, although minimal differences in HCRU were found across the three different high-risk definitions implemented. Among the primary care cohort, GP or nurse consultations were more frequent among older adults and the immunocompromised. Conclusions COVID-19 related hospitalisations in older adults, particularly critical care admissions, were the primary drivers of high resource use of COVID-19 in England. These findings may inform health policy decisions and resource allocation in the prevention and management of COVID-19.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Healthcare resource utilisation and costs of hospitalisation and primary care among adults with COVID-19 in England: a population-based cohort study
• Angry, sad, or scared? Within-valence mapping of emotion words to facial and body cues in 2- to 4-year-old children -
  The acquisition of emotion words is critical to children’s socio-emotional development. Previous studies report that children acquire emotion words gradually during ages 3–5 and beyond. The majority of this work, however, has used demanding tasks for young children (e.g., asking children to label emotion-related facial configurations) and has predominantly relied on facial configurations. Here we designed a child-friendly, word-comprehension task incorporating both facial configurations and body language. In two preregistered online experiments, we asked two to four-year-olds (N = 96) to connect emotion words—happy, sad, angry, and scared—to either facial configurations (Experiment 1) or combined facial and body cues (Experiment 2). We found relatively early competence in understanding emotion words, especially those of the same-valence. All age groups, including 2-year-olds, successfully linked emotion words to corresponding facial configurations (Experiment 1). Experiment 2 replicated this pattern and further showed that children performed equally well (though not substantially better) when given additional body cues. Parental reports of children’s exposure to and use of masks during the COVID-19 pandemic did not correlate with children’s performance in either experiment. Even before children can produce emotion words in an adult-like manner, they possess at least a partial understanding of those words and can map them to emotion cues within valence domains.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Angry, sad, or scared? Within-valence mapping of emotion words to facial and body cues in 2- to 4-year-old children
• Stability and change in young children’s linguistic experience during the COVID-19 pandemic: insight from a citizen-science sample in the United States -
  Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, extensive lockdowns interrupted daily routines, including childcare. We asked whether these interruptions, and the inevitable changes in the people with whom children spent their waking hours, caused changes in the languages that children heard. We retrospectively queried parents of young children (0-4 years) in the US about childcare arrangements and exposure to English and non-English languages at four timepoints from February 2020 to September 2021. Despite discontinuity in childcare arrangements, we found that children’s exposure to English vs. other languages remained relatively stable. We also identified demographic variables (child age at pandemic onset, parental proficiency in a non-English language) that consistently predicted exposure to non-English languages. Thus, multilingually-exposed children in this population did not appear to significantly gain or lose the opportunity to hear non-English languages overall. These results provide insight into the experiences of this unique cohort and inform our understanding of how language development can be shaped by complex environmental systems.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Stability and change in young children’s linguistic experience during the COVID-19 pandemic: insight from a citizen-science sample in the United States
• Surveillance strategies for the detection of new SARS-CoV-2 variants across epidemiological contexts -

  Rapid identification of new SARS-CoV-2 variants is a critical component of the public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, we lack a quantitative framework to assess the expected performance of sampling strategies in varying epidemic contexts. To address this gap, we used a multi-patch stochastic model of SARS-CoV-2 spread in New York City to evaluate the impact of the volume of testing and sequencing, geographic representativeness of sampling, location and timing of variant emergence, and relative variant transmissibility on the time to first detection of a new variant. The strategy of targeted sampling of likely emergence locations offered the most improvement in detection speed. Increasing sequencing capacity reduced detection time more than increasing testing volumes. The relative transmissibility of the new variant and the epidemic context of variant emergence also influenced detection times, showing that individual surveillance strategies can result in a wide range of detection outcomes, depending on the underlying dynamics of the circulating variants. These findings help contextualize the design, interpretation, and trade-offs of genomic surveillance strategies.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Surveillance strategies for the detection of new SARS-CoV-2 variants across epidemiological contexts
• Severity of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron XBB subvariants in Singapore -

  Several XBB subvariants such as XBB.1.5, XBB.1.9, XBB.1.16 and XBB.2.3 co-circulate in Singapore. Despite the different viral properties of XBB.1.16 as compared to other XBB subvariants, comparison on their severity is limited. In this study, we investigate the outcomes of hospitalisation and severe COVID-19 infection in individuals infected with different XBB subvariants, adjusted for potential confounders such as age and vaccination history. Overall, our preliminary analysis showed no difference in the severity of different XBB variants.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Severity of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron XBB subvariants in Singapore
• Tracking the prevalence and emergence of SARS CoV2 variants of concern using a regional genomic surveillance program -

  SARS-CoV-2 molecular testing coupled with whole genome sequencing is instrumental for real-time genomic surveillance. Genomic surveillance is critical for monitoring the spread of variants of concern (VOC) as well as novel variant discovery. Since the beginning of the pandemic millions of SARS-CoV-2 genomes have been deposited into public sequence databases. This is the result of efforts of both national and regional diagnostic laboratories. Here we describe the results of SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance from February 2021 to June 2022 at a metropolitan hospital in the USA. We demonstrate that consistent daily sampling is sufficient to track the regional prevalence and emergence of VOC. Similar sampling efforts should be considered a viable option for local SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance at other regional laboratories.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Tracking the prevalence and emergence of SARS CoV2 variants of concern using a regional genomic surveillance program
• The New Normal: Delayed Peak SARS-CoV-2 Viral Loads Relative to Symptom Onset and Implications for COVID-19 Testing Programs -

  Background: Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, peak viral loads coincided with symptom onset. We hypothesized that in a highly immune population, symptom onset might occur earlier in infection, coinciding with lower viral loads. Methods: We assessed SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A viral loads relative to symptom duration in recently-tested adults. Symptomatic participants ≥16y presenting to testing sites in Georgia (4/2022- 4/2023; Omicron variant predominant) provided symptom duration. Nasal swab samples were tested by the Xpert Xpress SARS-CoV-2/Flu/RSV assay and Ct values recorded. Nucleoprotein concentrations in SARS-CoV-2 PCR-positive samples were measured by Single Molecule Array. To estimate hypothetical antigen rapid diagnostic test (Ag RDT) sensitivity on each day after symptom onset, percentages of individuals with Ct value ≤30 or ≤25 were calculated. Results: Of 621 SARS-CoV-2 PCR-positive individuals (64.1% women, median 40.9y), 556/621 (89.5%) had a history of vaccination, natural infection, or both. By both Ct value and antigen concentration measurements, median viral loads rose from the day of symptom onset and peaked on the fourth day. Ag RDT sensitivity estimates were 35.7-71.4% on the first day, 63.9-78.7% on the third day, and 78.6-90.6% on the fourth day of symptoms. In 74 influenza A PCR-positive individuals (55.4% women; median 35.0y), median influenza viral loads peaked on the second day of symptoms. Conclusions: In a highly immune adult population, median SARS-CoV-2 viral loads peaked on the fourth day of symptoms. Influenza A viral loads peaked soon after symptom onset. These findings have implications for ongoing use of Ag RDTs for COVID-19 and influenza.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: The New Normal: Delayed Peak SARS-CoV-2 Viral Loads Relative to Symptom Onset and Implications for COVID-19 Testing Programs
• SARS-CoV-2 spike-induced syncytia are senescent and contribute to exacerbated heart failure -
  Patients with pre-existing heart failure are at a particularly high risk of morbidity and mortality resulting from SARS-CoV-2 infection. Direct acute cardiac injury or cytokine storms have been proposed to contribute to depressed cardiac function. However, the pathogenic mechanisms underlying the increased vulnerability to heart failure in SARS-CoV-2 infected patients are still largely unknown. Here, we found that the senescent outcome of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (SARS-2-S)-induced syncytia exacerbated heart failure progression. We first demonstrated that syncytium formation in cells expressing SARS-2-S delivered by DNA plasmid or LNP-mRNA exhibits a senescence-like phenotype. Extracellular vesicles containing SARS-2-S (S-EVs) also confer a potent ability to form senescent syncytia without de novo synthesis of SARS-2-S. Mechanistically, SARS-2-S syncytia provoke the formation of functional MAVS aggregates, which regulate the senescence fate of SARS-2-S syncytia by TNF. We further demonstrate that senescent SARS-2-S syncytia exhibit shrinked morphology, leading to the activation of WNK1 and impaired cardiac metabolism. In pre-existing heart failure mice, the WNK1 inhibitor WNK463, anti-syncytial drug niclosamide, and senolytic dasatinib protect the heart from exacerbated heart failure triggered by pseudovirus expressing SARS-2-S (SARS-2-Spp). Signs of senescent multinucleated cells are identified in ascending aorta from SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant-infected patient. Our findings thus suggest a potential mechanism for COVID-19-mediated cardiac pathology and recommend the application of WNK1 inhibitor for therapy.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: SARS-CoV-2 spike-induced syncytia are senescent and contribute to exacerbated heart failure
• A Solution to the Kermack and McKendrick Integro-Differential Equations -

  In this manuscript, we derive a closed form solution to the full Kermack and McKendrick integro-differential equations (Kermack and McKendrick 1927) which we call the KMES. The KMES can be cast in the form of a step function response to the input of new infections; and that response is the time series of the total infections. We demonstrate the veracity of the KMES using independent data from the Covid 19 pandemic and derive many previously unknown and useful analytical expressions for diagnosing and managing an epidemic. These include new expressions for the viral load, the final size, the effective reproduction number, and the time to the peak in infections. Since the publication of the Kermack and McKendrick seminal paper (1927), thousands of authors have utilized the Susceptible, Infected, and Recovered (SIR) approximations; expressions which are putatively derived from the integro-differential equations, to model epidemic dynamics. Implicit in the use of the SIR approximation are the beliefs that there is no closed form solution to the more complex integro-differential equations, that the approximation adequately reproduces the dynamics of the integro-differential equations, and that herd immunity always exists. However, as we explicate in this manuscript, the KMES demonstrates that the SIR models are not adequate representations of the integro-differential equations, and herd immunity is not guaranteed. Our conclusion is that the KMES obsoletes the need for the SIR approximations; and provides a new level of understanding of epidemic dynamics.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: A Solution to the Kermack and McKendrick Integro-Differential Equations
• COVID-19-related conspiracy beliefs and their relationship with perceived stress and pre-existing conspiracy beliefs in a Prolific Academic sample: A replication and extension of Georgiou et al. (2020) -
  The authors reanalyzed the data and conducted a close replication of a study by Georgiou et al. (2020), who found amongst 660 (reported in abstract) or 640 (reported in participant section) participants that 1) COVID-19 related conspiracy theory beliefs were strongly related to broader conspiracy theory beliefs, that 2) COVID-19 related conspiracy beliefs were higher in those with lower levels of education, and that 3) COVID-19 related conspiracy beliefs were positively (although weakly) correlated with more negative attitudes towards different individual items measuring the government’s response. Finally, Georgiou et al. (2020) found that 4) COVID-19 beliefs were unrelated to self-reported stress. Reanalyzing their data and adjusting the analytical framework, the authors only found that an average of attitudes towards the appropriateness of the government response towards the pandemic was negatively related to conspiracy beliefs in general (not just COVID-19). In the present replication and extension study, random forest analyses show that attitude towards government responses (like the original study), stress (unlike the original study), and attachment avoidance towards the partner (unlike the original study) are the most important predictors of conspiracy beliefs. However, the explained variance of the whole random forest model (3.5-7.5%) was low and model fit of the presently and widely used conspiracy belief inventories was poor. Measurement error is a likely explanation for the differences between the original and replication study and independent development-validation studies therefore need to be conducted to better measure conspiracy beliefs.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: COVID-19-related conspiracy beliefs and their relationship with perceived stress and pre-existing conspiracy beliefs in a Prolific Academic sample: A replication and extension of Georgiou et al. (2020)
• An agent-based modeling approach for lung fibrosis in response to COVID-19 -
  The severity of the COVID-19 pandemic has created an emerging need to investigate the long-term effects of infection on patients. Many individuals are at risk of suffering pulmonary fibrosis due to the pathogenesis of lung injury and impairment in the healing mechanism. Fibroblasts are the central mediators of extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition during tissue regeneration, regulated by anti-inflammatory cytokines including transforming growth factor beta (TGF-{beta}). The TGF-{beta}-dependent accumulation of fibroblasts at the damaged site and excess fibrillar collagen deposition lead to fibrosis. We developed an open-source, multiscale tissue simulator to investigate the role of TGF-{beta} sources in the progression of lung fibrosis after SARS-CoV-2 exposure, intracellular viral replication, infection of epithelial cells, and host immune response. Using the model, we predicted the dynamics of fibroblasts, TGF-{beta}, and collagen deposition for 15 days post-infection in virtual lung tissue. Our results showed variation in collagen area fractions between 2% and 40% depending on the spatial behavior of the sources (stationary or mobile), the rate of activation of TGF-{beta}, and the duration of TGF-{beta} sources. We identified M2 macrophages as primary contributors to higher collagen area fraction. Our simulation results also predicted fibrotic outcomes even with lower collagen area fraction when spatially-localized latent TGF-{beta} sources were active for longer times. Our results showed that partial removal of TGF-{beta} sources changed the fibrotic patterns; in the presence of persistent TGF-{beta} sources, partial removal of TGF-{beta} from the ECM significantly increased collagen area fraction due to maintenance of chemotactic gradients driving fibroblast movement. The computational findings are consistent with independent experimental and clinical observations of collagen area fractions and cell population dynamics not used in developing the model. These critical insights into the activity of TGF-{beta} sources may find applications in the current clinical trials targeting TGF-{beta} for the resolution of lung fibrosis.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: An agent-based modeling approach for lung fibrosis in response to COVID-19
• Sibling Relationships and Parental Interventions to Sibling Bullying During Covid-19: A Qualitative Comparison of British and Turkish Families of Autistic Adolescents -
  Background and aims: Despite its high potential for affecting sibling relationships, few studies have explored the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on this important family dynamic. Of these, the reported evidence has been inconsistent across cultures and lacks cross-cultural comparability. For the first time, we investigated cross-cultural variability in the impact of Covid-19, and the restrictions associated with it, on sibling relationships of autistic adolescents from a Western (United Kingdom) and non-Western (Turkey) country. We also explored how British and Turkish parents intervene in negative sibling interactions – i.e., sibling bullying –when witnessed. Methods: Parents of 164 British and 96 Turkish autistic adolescents, aged 9-20 years, were asked how they perceived the effects of Covid-19 on their children’s sibling relationships, and how they were most likely to react to instances of sibling bullying. Free response data from parents were analysed using qualitative content analysis. Results: Our findings indicated more cross-cultural similarities than differences between British and Turkish families. The majority of both British and Turkish parents indicated that Covid-19 worsened sibling relationships between their autistic and non-autistic children. An overwhelming majority of British and Turkish parents also said that they would step in directly when witnessing sibling bullying. Despite the high volume of cross-cultural similarities generally, we also found some cross-cultural differences, for instance in relation to the most common negative impact of Covid-19 on sibling relationships and the most preferred parental responses to sibling bullying. Conclusions and implication: Implications and suggestions are discussed in more detail, drawing on the Etic approach to cross-cultural psychology.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Sibling Relationships and Parental Interventions to Sibling Bullying During Covid-19: A Qualitative Comparison of British and Turkish Families of Autistic Adolescents
• Discovery of pan-ErbB inhibitors protecting from SARS-CoV-2 replication, inflammation, and lung injury by a drug repurposing screen -
  Effective therapies are needed to combat emerging viruses. Seventeen candidates that rescue cells from SARS-CoV-2-induced lethality and target diverse functions emerged in a screen of 4,413 compounds. Among the hits was lapatinib, an approved inhibitor of the ErbB family of receptor tyrosine kinases. Lapatinib and other pan-ErbB inhibitors suppress replication of SARS-CoV-2 and unrelated viruses with a high barrier to resistance. ErbB4, but not lapatinib’s cancer targets ErbB1 and ErbB2, is required for SARS-CoV-2 entry and encephalitic alphavirus infection and is a molecular target mediating lapatinib’s antiviral effect. In human lung organoids, lapatinib protects from SARS-CoV-2-induced activation of pathways implicated in non-infectious acute lung injury and fibrosis downstream of ErbBs (p38-MAPK, MEK/ERK, and AKT/mTOR), pro-inflammatory cytokine production, and epithelial barrier injury. These findings reveal regulation of viral infection, inflammation, and lung injury via ErbBs and propose approved candidates to counteract these effects with implications for pandemic coronaviruses and unrelated viruses.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Discovery of pan-ErbB inhibitors protecting from SARS-CoV-2 replication, inflammation, and lung injury by a drug repurposing screen

From Clinical Trials

• The Standard of Care Combined With Glucocorticoid in Elderly People With Mild or Moderate COVID-19 - Condition:   COVID-19
  Intervention:   Drug: Glucocorticoid
  Sponsor:   Huashan Hospital
  Not yet recruiting

• Arginine Replacement Therapy in COVID-19 - Condition:   COVID-19
  Intervention:   Drug: Arginine Hydrochloride
  Sponsor:   Emory University
  Not yet recruiting

• Effectiveness of a Second COVID-19 Vaccine Booster in Chinese Adults - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Biological: Intramuscularly administered Ad5-nCoV vaccine;   Biological: Aerosolized Ad5-nCoV;   Biological: DelNS1-2019-nCoV-RBD-OPT1;   Biological: SYS6006
  Sponsor:   Jiangsu Province Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  Not yet recruiting

• Long COVID-19 Syndrome Lifestyle Intervention Study - Condition:   Long COVID-19 Syndrome
  Intervention:   Dietary Supplement: Low carbohydrate diet intervention
  Sponsor:   University of Southern California
  Not yet recruiting

• PAxlovid loNg cOvid-19 pRevention triAl With recruitMent In the Community in Norway - Conditions:   Post COVID-19 Condition, Unspecified;   SARS-CoV2 Infection;   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Drug: Nirmatrelvir/ritonavir;   Drug: Placebo
  Sponsors:   Haukeland University Hospital;   University of Bergen
  Not yet recruiting

• Working Towards Empowered Community-driven Approaches to Increase Vaccination and Preventive Care Engagement - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Other: mHealth Outreach;   Other: Care Coordination
  Sponsors:   University of California, San Diego;   San Ysidro Health Center
  Not yet recruiting

• Safety, Tolerability and Immunogenicity of Alveavax-v1.2, a BA.2/Omicron-optimized, DNA Vaccine for COVID-19 Prevention - Condition:   Sars-CoV-2 Infection
  Interventions:   Drug: Alveavax-v1.2;   Drug: Janssen Ad26.COV2.S
  Sponsor:   Alvea Holdings, LLC
  Completed

• Effectiveness of Modified Diaphragmatic Training for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Post Covid-19 - Conditions:   GERD;   Post COVID-19 Condition;   Diaphragm Issues
  Interventions:   Other: modified diaphragmatic training;   Other: standard diaphragmatic training
  Sponsor:   Indonesia University
  Completed

• Role of Anthropometric Indices and Vit-D Supplementation on BioNTech, Pfizer Vaccine Side Effect and Immunoglobulin G Response Against SARS-CoV-2 in Individuals Infected With COVID-19; A Randomized Control Trial - Condition:   Role of Anthropometric Indices and Vit-D Supplementation on BioNTech, Pfizer Vaccine Side Effect and IgG Response Against SARS-CoV-2
  Intervention:   Combination Product: Vitamin-D
  Sponsor:   Sulaimany Polytechnic university
  Completed

• COVID-19 Vaccination Detoxification in LDL-C - Conditions:   COVID-19 Stress Syndrome;   COVID-19 Vaccine Adverse Reaction;   COVID-19-Associated Thromboembolism;   COVID-19 Post-Intensive Care Syndrome;   COVID-19-Associated Stroke;   COVID-19 Respiratory Infection
  Intervention:   Combination Product: Atorvastatin Calcium Tablets
  Sponsor:   Yang I. Pachankis
  Active, not recruiting

• Post Covid-19 Dysautonomia Rehabilitation Randomized Controlled Trial - Conditions:   Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome;   Dysautonomia
  Interventions:   Procedure: Rehabilitation;   Procedure: Standard of Care
  Sponsors:   Evangelismos Hospital;   National and Kapodistrian University of Athens;   LONG COVID GREECE;   414 Military Hospital of Special Diseases
  Recruiting

• Exercise for Health in Patients With Post-acute Sequelae of COVID-19 - Condition:   Long COVID
  Intervention:   Other: Rehabilitation program
  Sponsors:   Campus docent Sant Joan de Déu-Universitat de Barcelona;   Hospital de Mataró;   University of Barcelona
  Active, not recruiting

• Digital Multimodal Rehabilitation for People With Post-acute COVID-19 Syndrome. - Condition:   Post-COVID Syndrome
  Interventions:   Behavioral: RehabCovid_Telematic;   Behavioral: RehabCovid_ImmersiveVR;   Behavioral: Control_Condition
  Sponsors:   Consorci Sanitari de Terrassa;   University of Barcelona;   Universitat de Girona;   Unitat Assistencial i Preventiva de l’Esport- Centre d’Alt rendiment;   Politecnic University of Catalonia;   Corporación Fisiogestión
  Recruiting

• A Study in Healthy Volunteers to Evaluate the Safety, Tolerability, Pharmacokinetics, and Drug-Drug Interaction Potential of Single and Multiple Doses of ALG-097558 - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Drug: ALG-097558;   Drug: Placebo;   Drug: Midazolam;   Drug: Itraconazole;   Drug: Carbamazepine;   Drug: ALG-097558 in solution formulation;   Drug: ALG-097558 in tablet formulation
  Sponsor:   Aligos Therapeutics
  Not yet recruiting

• Immunoadsorption Study Mainz in Adults With Post-COVID Syndrome - Conditions:   Post-COVID-19 Syndrome;   Post-COVID Syndrome;   Post COVID-19 Condition
  Interventions:   Device: Immunoadsorption;   Device: Sham-apheresis
  Sponsor:   University Medical Center Mainz
  Recruiting

From PubMed

• Nature-inspired catalytic asymmetric rearrangement of cyclopropylcarbinyl cation - In nature, cyclopropylcarbinyl cation is often involved in cationic cascade reactions catalyzed by natural enzymes to produce a great number of structurally diverse natural substances. However, mimicking this natural process with artificial organic catalysts remains a daunting challenge in synthetic chemistry. We report a small molecule-catalyzed asymmetric rearrangement of cyclopropylcarbinyl cations, leading to a series of chiral homoallylic sulfide products with good to excellent yields and…

• Designer DNA NanoGripper - DNA has shown great biocompatibility, programmable mechanical properties, and structural addressability at the nanometer scale, making it a versatile material for building high precision nanorobotics for biomedical applications. Herein, we present design principle, synthesis, and characterization of a DNA nanorobotic hand, called the “NanoGripper”, that contains a palm and four bendable fingers as inspired by human hands, bird claws, and bacteriophages evolved in nature. Each NanoGripper finger…

• Transcriptome Analysis Reveals Organ-Specific Effects of 2-Deoxyglucose Treatment in Healthy Mice - CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that 2DG has a systemic impact that varies across organs, potentially affecting multiple pathways and functions. The study provides insights into the potential therapeutic benefits of 2DG across different diseases and highlights the importance of understanding its systemic effects for future research and clinical applications.

• 90K/LGALS3BP expression is upregulated in COVID-19 but may not restrict SARS-CoV-2 infection - Glycoprotein 90K, encoded by the interferon-stimulated gene LGALS3BP, displays broad antiviral activity. It reduces HIV-1 infectivity by interfering with Env maturation and virion incorporation, and increases survival of Influenza A virus-infected mice via antiviral innate immune signaling. Its antiviral potential in SARS-CoV-2 infection remains largely unknown. Here, we analyzed the expression of 90K/LGALS3BP in 44 hospitalized COVID-19 patients at multiple levels. We quantified 90K protein…

• SARS-CoV-2 S1 Subunit Booster Vaccination Elicits Robust Humoral Immune Responses in Aged Mice - The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants has raised concerns about reduced vaccine effectiveness and the increased risk of infection, and while repeated homologous booster shots are recommended for elderly and immunocompromised individuals, they cannot completely protect against breakthrough infections. In our previous study, we assessed the immunogenicity of an adenovirus-based vaccine expressing SARS-CoV-2 S1 (Ad5.S1) in mice, which induced robust…

• Frontline Worker Safety in the Age of COVID-19: A Global Perspective - The third annual Health Watch USAsm webinar conference assembled 16 speakers from 4 continents who shared information regarding frontline worker safety in the age of COVID-19. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a nearly 4000% increase in workplace illness in 2020 compared with 2019. It is estimated that 2% of the U.S. workforce is not working because of long COVID. In addition, the impact is growing with each surge. After the acute illness, patients are often described as recovered,…

• Reparixin improves survival in critically ill and transplant patients: A meta-analysis - CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this meta-analysis indicate that reparixin, an anti-inflammatory drug, improved survival in critically ill or transplant patients (including both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients) without increasing the risk of infection.

• Bioinformatics approach to analyse COVID-19 biomarkers accountable for generation of intracranial aneurysm in COVID-19 patients - COVID-19 became a health emergency on January 30, 2020. SARS-CoV-2 is the causative agent of the coronavirus disease known as COVID-19 and can develop cardiometabolic and neurological disorders. Intracranial aneurysm (IA) is considered the most significant reason for hemorrhagic stroke,and it accounts for approximately 85% of all subarachnoid hemorrhages (SAH). Retinoid signaling abnormalities may explain COVID-19’s pathogenesis with inhibition of AEH2, from which COVID-19 infection may enhance…

• Adjunctive therapy with lipid-lowering agents in COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials - CONCLUSION: Although some observational studies found improved outcomes in patients using lipid-lowering agents, our study found no benefit in adding statins, fenofibrate, or nicotinamide to COVID-19 treatment. On the other hand, PCSK9 inhibitors can be a good candidate for further assessment. Finally, there are major limitations in the use of omega-3 supplements in treating COVID-19 and more trials are warranted to evaluate this efficacy.

• SARS-CoV-2 envelope protein triggers depression-like behaviors and dysosmia via TLR2-mediated neuroinflammation in mice - CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates that envelope protein could directly induce depression-like behaviors, dysosmia, and obvious neuroinflammation in CNS. TLR2 mediated depression-like behaviors and dysosmia induced by envelope protein, which could serve as a promising therapeutic target for neurological manifestation in COVID-19 patients.

• Eight-Month Follow-up After the Third Dose of BNT162b2 Vaccine in Healthcare Workers: The Question of a Fourth Dose - CONCLUSION: For HCWs who had coronavirus disease 2019 infection after completing a third vaccination, a sufficient antibody response was maintained until eight months after the third dose. The recommendation of the fourth dose may not be prioritized in subjects with hybrid immunity.

• Polyphenylene carboxymethylene (PPCM), the active component of the topical contraceptive Yaso-GEL, exhibits potent antimicrobial activity against Neisseria gonorrhoeae in preclinical studies - CONCLUSIONS: Yaso-GEL containing the API PPCM showed significant activity against N. gonorrhoeae in vitro and in vivo in a female mouse model. These data support further development of Yaso-GEL as an inexpensive, non-hormonal and non-systemic product with both contraceptive and antimicrobial activity against gonorrhea and other common sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Such multipurpose prevention technology products are needed by women in all economic, social and cultural circumstances to…

• Identification of Potential TMPRSS2 Inhibitors for COVID-19 Treatment in Chinese Medicine by Computational Approaches and Surface Plasmon Resonance Technology - CONCLUSIONS: Specific active compounds including narirutin, saikosaponin B1, and rutin in CM recipes potentially target and inhibit TMPS2, probably exerting a therapeutic effect on COVID-19.

• Comparison of antibody responses following natural infection with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 or receipt of CoronaVac or ChAdOx1 (AZD1222) vaccination in Chiang Mai, Thailand - CONCLUSIONS: ChAdOx1 vaccine may provide superior immunogenicity than CoronaVac and natural infection.

• In-Silico Approaches for the Screening and Discovery of Broad-Spectrum Marine Natural Product Antiviral Agents Against Coronaviruses - The urgent need for SARS-CoV-2 controls has led to a reassessment of approaches to identify and develop natural product inhibitors of zoonotic, highly virulent, and rapidly emerging viruses. There are yet no clinically approved broad-spectrum antivirals available for beta-coronaviruses. Discovery pipelines for pan-virus medications against a broad range of betacoronaviruses are therefore a priority. A variety of marine natural product (MNP) small molecules have shown inhibitory activity against…

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