Covid-19 Sentry

Contents

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

From Preprints

• Investigating orthographic versus auditory cross-situational word learning with online and lab-based research -
  In recent years, cross-situational word learning (CSWL) paradigms have shown that novel words can be learned through implicit statistical learning. So far, CSWL studies using adult populations have focused on the presentation of spoken words (auditory information), however, words can also be learned through their written form (orthographic information). This study compares auditory and orthographic presentation of novel words with different degrees of phonological overlap using the CSWL paradigm. Additionally, we also present a lab-based and online-based approach to testing behavioural experiments. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, lab testing was prematurely terminated, and testing was continued online using a newly created online testing protocol. Analyses first compared accuracy and response times across modalities, with our findings showing better and faster recognition performance for CSWL when novel words are presented through their written (orthographic condition) than through their spoken forms (auditory condition). As well, Bayesian modelling found that accuracy for the auditory condition was higher online compared to the lab-based experiment, whereas performance in the orthography condition was high in both experiments and generally outperformed the auditory condition. We discuss the implications of our findings for modality of presentation, as well as the benefits of our online testing protocol and its implementation for future research.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Investigating orthographic versus auditory cross-situational word learning with online and lab-based research
• SARS-CoV-2 Antibody response to the Sputnik Vaccine in previous infected Patients and non-infected one -

  The begging of 2020 saw the development and trials of vaccines against Covid-19 at an unprecedented pace. The first half of 2021 has seen vaccine rollout in many countries, on the other hand, Immunity to covid-19 has exhibited to minimize the risk of having a severe infection and initiate an excellent degree against the disease. This study compares Anti-Spike IgG antibodies among vaccinated people with or without previous exposure to the coronavirus. To determine whether a single dose of sputnik V can produce significant antibody titer amongst previously infected cases and design vaccine dosage regimens accordingly. This study was performed at the Libyan biotechnology research Centre from August 2021 to December 2021. Blood samples were collected from 1811 adult males and females vaccinated with and without a history of exposure to covid-19. Previously infected individuals9 record was noted separately. Samples were immediately analyzed by Beckman Unicel Dxl 600, Access immunoassay system. Data were analyzed using GraphPad Prism 9 Software. A P-value >0.5 was not significant. The Majority of candidates 60% of the total samples were males and on analysis, it was found that 72% of patients were seropositive, on the other hand, individuals who were vaccinated and have naive antibodies from the previous infection showed slightly higher immunological response rather than vaccinated patients without previous infected and this finding can help the policymakers to design a single-dose vaccine regimen for the former category. Keywords: Sputnik V, COVID-19, Antibody, Vaccine.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: SARS-CoV-2 Antibody response to the Sputnik Vaccine in previous infected Patients and non-infected one
• High SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in Lagos, Nigeria with robust antibody and cellular responses -

  Background Early evidence suggested that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was less severe in Africa compared to other parts of the world. However, more recent studies indicate higher SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 mortality rates on the continent than previously documented. Research is needed to better understand SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence and immunity in Africa. Methods Our collaboration with the Lagos State COVID-19 Taskforce, enabled secondary analyses of immune responses in healthcare workers (HCWs) and Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine recipients from the general population across 5 local government areas (LGAs) in Lagos State, Nigeria. Western blots were used to simultaneously detect SARS-CoV-2 spike and nucleocapsid (N) antibodies and stimulation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells with N followed by an IFN-γ ELISA was used to examine T cell responses. Findings Antibody data demonstrated high SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence of 71.6% (96/134) in HCWs and 54.8% (63/115) in the general population. Antibodies directed to only SARS-CoV-2 N, suggesting pre-existing coronavirus immunity, were seen in 10.4% (14/134) of HCWs and 20.0% (23/115) of the general population. T cell data showed that IFN-γ responses against SARS-CoV-2 N were robust in detecting exposure to the virus, demonstrating 87.5% sensitivity and 92.3% specificity. Interpretation These results have important implications for understanding the paradoxical high SARS-CoV-2 infection with low mortality rate in Africa as compared to other parts of the world, as well as for the development of T cell-based diagnostics and vaccines.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: High SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in Lagos, Nigeria with robust antibody and cellular responses
• Severe acute infection and chronic pulmonary disease are risk factors for developing post-COVID-19 conditions -

  Post-COVID-19 conditions, also known as long COVID, has significantly impacted the lives of many individuals, but the risk factors for this condition are poorly understood. In this study, we performed a retrospective EHR analysis of 89,843 individuals at a multi-state health system in the United States with PCR-confirmed COVID-19, including 1,086 patients diagnosed with long COVID and 1,086 matched controls not diagnosed with long COVID. For these two cohorts, we evaluated a wide range of clinical covariates, including laboratory tests, medication orders, phenotypes recorded in the clinical notes, and outcomes. We found that chronic pulmonary disease (CPD) was significantly more common as a pre-existing condition for the long COVID cohort than the control cohort (odds ratio: 1.9, 95% CI: [1.5, 2.6]). Additionally, long-COVID patients were more likely to have a history of migraine (odds ratio: 2.2, 95% CI: [1.6, 3.1]) and fibromyalgia (odds ratio: 2.3, 95% CI: [1.3, 3.8]). During the acute infection phase, the following lab measurements were abnormal in the long COVID cohort: high triglycerides (meanlongCOVID: 278.5 mg/dL vs. meancontrol: 141.4 mg/dL), low HDL cholesterol levels (meanlongCOVID: 38.4 mg/dL vs. meancontrol: 52.5 mg/dL), and high neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (meanlongCOVID: 10.7 vs. meancontrol: 7.2). The hospitalization rate during the acute infection phase was also higher in the long COVID cohort compared to the control cohort (ratelongCOVID: 5% vs. ratecontrol: 1%). Overall, this study suggests that the severity of acute infection and a history of CPD, migraine, CFS, or fibromyalgia may be risk factors for long COVID symptoms. Our findings motivate clinical studies to evaluate whether suppressing acute disease severity proactively, especially in patients at high risk, can reduce incidence of long COVID.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Severe acute infection and chronic pulmonary disease are risk factors for developing post-COVID-19 conditions
• SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine is re-adenylated in vivo, enhancing antigen production and immune response -
  Though mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 have revolutionized vaccinology and have been administered in billions of doses, we know incredibly little about how mRNA vaccines are metabolized in vivo. Here we implemented enhanced nanopore Direct RNA sequencing (eDRS), to enable the analysis of single Moderna’s mRNA-1273 molecules, giving in vivo information about the sequence and poly(A) tails. We show that mRNA-1273, with all uridines replaced by N1-methylpseudouridine (m Psi), is terminated by a long poly(A) tail (~100 nucleotides) followed by an mpsimpsi AG sequence. In model cell lines, mRNA-1273 is swiftly degraded in a process initiated by the removal of mPsiPsiAG, followed by CCR4-NOT-mediated deadenylation. In contrast, intramuscularly inoculated mRNA-1273 undergoes more complex modifications. Notably, mRNA-1273 molecules are re-adenylated after mPsimPsiAG removal. Detailed analysis of immune cells involved in antigen production revealed that in macrophages, after mPsimPsiAG removal, vaccine mRNA is very efficiently re-adenylated, and poly(A) tails can reach up to 200A. In contrast, in dendritic cells, vaccine mRNA undergoes slow deadenylation-dependent decay. We further demonstrate that enhancement of mRNA stability in macrophages is mediated by TENT5 poly(A) polymerases, whose expression is induced by the vaccine itself. Lack of TENT5-mediated re-adenylation results in lower antigen production and severely compromises specific immunoglobulin production following vaccination. Together, our findings provide an unexpected principle for the high efficacy of mRNA vaccines and open new possibilities for their improvement. They also emphasize that, in addition to targeting a protein of interest, the design of mRNA therapeutics should be customized to its cellular destination.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine is re-adenylated in vivo, enhancing antigen production and immune response
• Immunopeptidome profiling of human coronavirus OC43-infected cells identifies CD4 T cell epitopes specific to seasonal coronaviruses or cross-reactive with SARS-CoV-2 -
  Seasonal “common-cold” human coronaviruses are widely spread throughout the world and are mainly associated with mild upper respiratory tract infections. The emergence of highly pathogenic coronaviruses MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV, and most recently SARS-CoV-2 has prompted increased attention to coronavirus biology and immunopathology, but identification and characterization of the T cell response to seasonal human coronaviruses remain largely uncharacterized. Here we report the repertoire of viral peptides that are naturally processed and presented upon infection of a model cell line with seasonal human coronavirus OC43. We identified MHC-I and MHC-II bound peptides derived from the viral spike, nucleocapsid, hemagglutinin-esterase, 3C-like proteinase, and envelope proteins. Only three MHC-I bound OC43-derived peptides were observed, possibly due to the potent MHC-I downregulation induced by OC43 infection. By contrast, 80 MHC-II bound peptides corresponding to 14 distinct OC43-derived epitopes were identified, including many at very high abundance within the overall MHC-II peptidome. These peptides elicited low-abundance recall T cell responses in most donors tested. In vitro assays confirmed that the peptides were recognized by CD4+ T cells and identified the presenting HLA alleles. T cell responses cross-reactive between OC43, SARS-CoV-2, and the other seasonal coronaviruses were confirmed in samples of peripheral blood and peptide-expanded T cell lines. Among the validated epitopes, S903-917 presented by DPA101:03/DPB104:01 and S1085-1099 presented by DRB115:01 shared substantial homology to other human coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, and were targeted by cross-reactive CD4 T cells. N54-68 and HE128-142 presented by DRB115:01 and HE259-273 presented by DPA101:03/DPB104:01 are immunodominant epitopes with low coronavirus homology that are not cross-reactive with SARS-CoV-2. Overall, the set of naturally processed and presented OC43 epitopes comprise both OC43-specific and human coronavirus cross-reactive epitopes, which can be used to follow T cell cross-reactivity after infection or vaccination and could aid in the selection of epitopes for inclusion in pan-coronavirus vaccines.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Immunopeptidome profiling of human coronavirus OC43-infected cells identifies CD4 T cell epitopes specific to seasonal coronaviruses or cross-reactive with SARS-CoV-2
• The time divide: Reducing the barrier of a lack of spare time increased physical activity levels during the UK Government-enforced COVID-19 lockdown -
  Background & Objective: Many individuals do not meet the World Health Organisation (2010) recommendations of 150 minutes of physical activity a week, often citing a lack of time as a key reason. The UK government-mandated lockdown for the global SARS-CoV-2 virus (COVID-19) pandemic provided an opportunity to investigate whether a potential increase in available time would lead to increased activity levels, and whether an increase in activity would correlate with improvements in mental health. Methods: An online survey investigated physical activity levels (time and intensity) at three separate intervals within one calendar year: firstly, for a typical week before the government-mandated lockdown; secondly, a week during lockdown (including measures of mental wellbeing); and finally in August 2020 - which re-assessed physical activity levels and mental wellbeing after the easing of some lockdown restrictions. Results: Whilst participants reported spending more time engaging in physical activity during lockdown compared to before (with those who perceived themselves to have more spare time reporting a greater increase than those who did not), there was no difference in the intensity of this activity. Additionally, there was a significant positive correlation between physical activity levels and mental wellbeing during the initial period of lockdown. Conclusions: Overall, the study demonstrated that, as hypothesised by the COM-B model, reducing one of the most commonly reported barriers (time) did increase physical activity levels. Importantly, it also showed that those who engaged in more physical activity also reported better mental health, which is particularly striking given the likely overall detrimental effect of being in lockdown.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: The time divide: Reducing the barrier of a lack of spare time increased physical activity levels during the UK Government-enforced COVID-19 lockdown
• Empathetic, old, and disgust-sensitive vs. comfort-seeking, misinformed, and rationalizing: Predictors and motives for mask-wearing behavior and vaccination intention during the COVID-19 pandemic -
  Containing a pandemic requires that individuals adhere to measures such as wearing face-masks and get vaccinated. Therefore, identifying predictors and motives for both behaviors is of importance. Here, we study the decisions made by a cross-national sample in randomized hypothetical scenarios during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our results show that mask-wearing was predicted by empathic tendencies, germ aversion, and higher age, whilst belief in misinformation and presentation of an interaction partner as a family member lowered the safety standards. The main motives associated with taking the mask off included: rationalization, facilitating interaction, and comfort. Vaccination intention was positively predicted by empathy, and negatively predicted by belief in misinformation and higher costs of the vaccine. We found no effect of immunization status of the surrounding social group. The most common motive for vaccination was protection of oneself and others, whereas undecided and anti-vaccine groups reported doubts about the effectiveness and fear of side effects. Together, we identify main social and psychological predictors and motives of mask-wearing behavior and vaccination intention. The results highlight the importance of social context for mask-wearing, easy access to vaccines, empathy, and trust in publicly distributed information.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Empathetic, old, and disgust-sensitive vs. comfort-seeking, misinformed, and rationalizing: Predictors and motives for mask-wearing behavior and vaccination intention during the COVID-19 pandemic
• Lapses in the person radar: Attentional traits predict difficulty in interpersonal distancing -
  Within the psychological literature and during the COVID-19 pandemic, the regulation of interpersonal distance has typically been viewed as a voluntary choice, with implications for public health interventions. Here we highlight that lapses in interpersonal distancing can also occur unintentionally. Using a novel measure across 3 undergraduate samples (total N = 1225) we found that almost all (>97%) participants reported unintentional lapses in maintaining interpersonal distance, with 16% experiencing such lapses frequently. Thirty percent of the variance in these reports was accounted for by attentional traits: Inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive ADHD symptoms jointly predicted difficulties with interpersonal distancing, with the former relationship fully mediated by hyperfocus and spontaneous mind-wandering. The results are consistent with a view of interpersonal distancing as attentionally demanding and hence vulnerable to unintentional lapses due to inattention. We discuss the implications for epidemiology, social cognition and functioning, and design of social spaces.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Lapses in the person radar: Attentional traits predict difficulty in interpersonal distancing
• Fast and Accurate Maximum-Likelihood Estimation of Multi-Type Birth-Death Epidemiological Models from Phylogenetic Trees -

  Multi-type birth-death (MTBD) models are phylodynamic analogies of compartmental models in classical epidemiology. They serve to infer such epidemiological parameters as the average number of secondary infections R_e and the infectious time from a phylogenetic tree (a genealogy of pathogen sequences). The representatives of this model family focus on various aspects of pathogen epidemics. For instance, the birth-death exposed-infectious (BDEI) model describes the transmission of pathogens featuring an incubation period (when there is a delay between the moment of infection and becoming infectious, as for Ebola and SARS-CoV-2), and permits its estimation along with other parameters. With constantly growing sequencing data, MTBD models should be extremely useful for unravelling information on pathogen epidemics. However, existing implementations of these models in a phylodynamic framework have not yet caught up with the sequencing speed. Computing time and numerical instability issues limit their applicability to medium data sets (⩽ 500 samples), while the accuracy of estimations should increase with more data. We propose a new highly parallelizable formulation of ordinary differential equations for MTBD models. We also extend them to forests to represent situations when a (sub-)epidemic started from several cases (e.g. multiple introductions to a country). We implemented it for the BDEI model in a maximum likelihood framework using a combination of numerical analysis methods for efficient equation resolution. Our implementation estimates epidemiological parameter values and their confidence intervals in four minutes on a phylogenetic tree of 10 000 samples. Comparison to the existing implementations on simulated data shows that it is not only 30 000 times faster, but also more accurate. An application of our tool to the 2014 Ebola epidemic in Sierra-Leone is also convincing, with very fast calculation and precise estimates.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Fast and Accurate Maximum-Likelihood Estimation of Multi-Type Birth-Death Epidemiological Models from Phylogenetic Trees
• Adherence to and Motivations for Complying with Public Health Measures Among Adolescents During the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic in Canada -
  Background: Public health measures (e.g., minimizing social interactions, social distancing, mask wearing) have been implemented in Canada to reduce the transmission of COVID-19. Given that adolescents may be a high-risk demographic for spreading COVID-19, this study investigated adherence to and motivations for complying with public health measures among youth living in Canada at two points of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Adolescents (N = 1484, 53% female, Mage = 15.73 [SD = 1.41]) completed an online survey in either Summer 2020 (W1; n = 809, 56% female) or Winter 2020/2021 (W2; n = 675, 50% female). Independent sample t-tests investigated differences in adherence across waves and regression analyses examined predictors of adherence. Results: Youth engaged in similar levels of social interactions at W1 and W2. Relative to W1, adolescents reported more mask wearing, but less social distancing at W2. At both waves, social responsibility and not wanting to get sick predicted mask wearing, and social responsibility predicted social distancing. Being concerned with population health predicted adherence to all public health measures at W1, whereas concern with family health predicted adherence to mask wearing and social distancing at W2. Conclusions: Youth engaged in more mask wearing but less social distancing as the pandemic progressed. Social responsibility and not wanting to get sick were consistent predictors of adherence throughout the pandemic. Youth shifted from adhering to public health measures due to concern with population health to concern with family health as the pandemic progressed. These results can inform targeted campaigns to bolster compliance with public health measures among adolescents.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Adherence to and Motivations for Complying with Public Health Measures Among Adolescents During the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic in Canada
• Longitudinal Profile of Post traumatic symptoms in HealthCare Workers during COVID-19 pandemic: A latent transition model -
  Introduction: Pandemics have the potential to be considered traumatic event, increasing the risk of developing post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) in some populations, such as Health Care Workers. However, few longitudinal studies have evaluated the impact of prolonged exposure to the risk imposed by COVID-19. Methods: We evaluated the levels of post-traumatic stress symptoms and psychological distress in a Brazilian HealthCare Workers’ sample (n = 1398) in three waves of assessment: from May to June 2020 (Wave 1), December 2020 to February 2021 (Wave 2) and May to August 2021 (Wave 3). Results: Using Latent Profile Analysis (LPA), it was identified two profiles: high-PTSS profile (Wave 1 - 23%; Wave 2 - 64% and Wave 3 - 73%) and low-PTSS (Wave 1 - 77%; Wave 2 - 36% and Wave 3 - 27%). Then, we used Latent Transition Analysis (LTA) to examine changes in symptom profiles over time, including gender, psychiatric diagnosis history, and pandemic-related fears as covariates. Results show that being female, working with fear of contamination, and fearing financial problems were strong predictors of changes in the profile from low-PTSS to high-PTSS. In addition, regardless of the initial profile, the participants had a high probability of being in the high-PTSS in the long run. Conclusion: There is a clear risk for HealthCare Workers to feel traumatized during a stressful critical healthcare condition.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Longitudinal Profile of Post traumatic symptoms in HealthCare Workers during COVID-19 pandemic: A latent transition model
• Protocol for a Study on Día de los Muertos, Loss, Funerals, and Mental Health Among Mexican-Origin Adults in the United States -
  Día de los Muertos is a traditional celebration takes place early in November and is one of the most intricate death-related ritual in Mexican culture in which families welcome the return of their loved ones who died. Funerals are important rituals following the death of a person that provide the bereaved with an opportunity to say farewell to the departed in company of family, friends, and community. Día de los Muertos and funerals can help process grief and loss following the COVID-19 pandemic, a global event that disproportionally affected Mexican-origin adults in the U.S. Although research has shown the cultural importance of participating in Día de los Muertos and funerals, less is known about their connection to each other, as well as grief, mental health, and wellbeing among those who experienced loss during the pandemic. In this protocol, we describe the rationale for a cross-sectional survey, a study using a correlational design, and present the research questions, sample characteristics, procedure, instrument, and data analysis plan. In Study 1, we will investigate the association between Día de los Muertos participation and attitudes with levels of grief, mental health, and wellbeing among those who experienced loss during the pandemic. In Study 2, we will examine the association between funeral participation and attitudes with levels of grief, mental health, and wellbeing among those who experienced loss during the pandemic.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Protocol for a Study on Día de los Muertos, Loss, Funerals, and Mental Health Among Mexican-Origin Adults in the United States
• A qualitative forum analysis of fathers’ stressors and support seeking behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic -
  Fathers experienced high rates of mental health concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic. Social support is crucial to mitigate these problems; however, access to and quality of support were impacted by public health guidelines to increase physical distancing. Online forums offer an avenue for peer connection and support. Yet, minimal research has examined forum use during COVID-19 to describe the experiences, perceived stressors, and resource need of fathers during the pandemic. This study qualitatively analyzed fathers’ experiences through a Framework Analytic Approach of reddit’s sub-forum r/daddit. Posts (N=299) and comments (N=2597) between July and October 2020 were analyzed. Findings highlighted five main themes (with subthemes): forum use, family functioning, psychological and health factors, interpersonal functioning, and COVID-19. First and foremost, fathers used the online forum to provide support and advice to other fathers. Main themes are discussed in terms of informing the development of services to support father and family wellbeing.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: A qualitative forum analysis of fathers’ stressors and support seeking behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic
• Prediction of mental well-being from individual characteristics and circumstances during the COVID-19 pandemic -
  The “Mental Health Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on NIMH Patients and Volunteers” study was a longitudinal study launched in spring 2020 by researchers at NIMH, to investigate the effect of the emerging COVID-19 pandemic on mental health. For each participant, the study collected personal characteristics, such as demographics, psychological traits, and clinical history, together with personal circumstances at regular intervals during their enrollment in the study. In this paper, we examine the degree to which a variety of mental health outcomes over time for an individual can be predicted from personal characteristics and their changing circumstances, using regression models trained on other study participants. We find that it is possible to predict the variation of a participant’s mental health outcomes from time point to time point, for most of the outcomes we consider. This capability is dominated by information about outcome at the point of enrollment in the study, but can be improved by considering personal characteristics and circumstances.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Prediction of mental well-being from individual characteristics and circumstances during the COVID-19 pandemic

From Clinical Trials

• Pilot Clinical Trial to Explore Efficacy and Safety of Pyramax in Mild to Moderate COVID-19 Patients - Condition:   COVID-19
  Intervention:   Drug: Pyramax
  Sponsor:   Shin Poong Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.
  Completed

• Animation Supported COVID-19 Education - Condition:   COVID-19 Pandemic
  Intervention:   Other: Animation-Supported Education
  Sponsor:   Siirt University
  Completed

• CareSuperb COVID-19 Antigen Test Usability - Condition:   COVID-19
  Intervention:   Device: CareSuperb COVID-19 Antigen Home Test Kit
  Sponsor:   AccessBio, Inc.
  Recruiting

• Feasibility and Usability of COVID-19 Antigen RDTs in Uganda - Condition:   COVID-19 Pandemic
  Interventions:   Diagnostic Test: PMC Sure Status COVID-19 Antigen Test;   Diagnostic Test: Acon Flowflex COVID-19 Antigen Home Test
  Sponsor:   PATH
  Not yet recruiting

• SUNRISE-3: Efficacy and Safety of Bemnifosbuvir in High-Risk Outpatients With COVID-19 - Conditions:   SARS CoV 2 Infection;   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Drug: Bemnifosbuvir (BEM);   Drug: Placebo
  Sponsor:   Atea Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
  Recruiting

• The Roles of Vitamin D and Microbiome in Children With Post-acute COVID-19 Syndromes (PACS) and Long COVID - Condition:   Post-acute COVID-19 Syndromes
  Interventions:   Other: Vitamin D;   Other: Placebo
  Sponsor:   China Medical University Hospital
  Recruiting

• A Study to Learn About Bivalent COVID-19 RNA Vaccine Candidate(s) in Healthy Infants and Children - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Biological: Bivalent BNT162b2 (original/Omicron BA.4/BA.5) 3 microgram dose;   Biological: Bivalent BNT162b2 (original/Omicron BA.4/BA.5) 6 microgram dose;   Biological: Bivalent BNT162b2 (original/Omicron BA.4/BA.5) 10 microgram dose;   Biological: Bivalent BNT162b2 (original/Omicron BA.4/BA.5) 1 microgram dose
  Sponsors:   BioNTech SE;   Pfizer
  Not yet recruiting

• Evaluation of an Integrative Medicine Outpatient Clinical Setting for Post-COVID-19 Patients - Conditions:   COVID-19;   Fatigue
  Interventions:   Behavioral: outpatient clinic with multimodal integrative medicine and naturopathy for post-COVID-19 patients;   Other: waiting group
  Sponsor:   Universität Duisburg-Essen
  Recruiting

• Clinical Evaluation of the Panbio™ COVID-19/Flu A&B Rapid Panel Professional Use Product Using Mid-Turbinate Nasal Swabs - Conditions:   COVID-19;   Influenza A;   Influenza Type B
  Intervention:   Diagnostic Test: Panbio™
  Sponsor:   Abbott Rapid Dx
  Not yet recruiting

• Efficacy of a Physical and Respiratory Rehabilitation Program for Patients With Persistent COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2). - Conditions:   SARS-CoV-2 Infection;   COVID-19 Recurrent;   Cognitive Dysfunction;   Fatigue
  Intervention:   Other: COPERIA-REHAB
  Sponsors:   Fundacin Biomedica Galicia Sur;   University of Vigo;   Galician South Health Research Institute
  Not yet recruiting

• Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Azvudine in Preventing SARS-Cov-2 Infection in Household Contacts of Covid-19 - Condition:   SARS-CoV-2 Infection
  Interventions:   Drug: Azvudine;   Drug: Placebo
  Sponsors:   Shanghai Henlius Biotech;   Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Industrial Development Co. Ltd.;   HeNan Sincere Biotech Co., Ltd
  Not yet recruiting

• VNS for Long-COVID-19 - Conditions:   Post-COVID-19 Syndrome;   Postural Tachycardia Syndrome;   Dysautonomia
  Interventions:   Device: Non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation;   Device: Sham Intervention
  Sponsor:   Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
  Recruiting

• Differential Diagnosis of Persistent COVID-19 by Artificial Intelligence - Conditions:   COVID-19;   Fatigue;   Distress Respiratory Syndrome;   Cognitive Dysfunction;   COVID-19 Recurrent;   SARS CoV 2 Infection
  Intervention:   Other: Experimental tests
  Sponsors:   Fundacin Biomedica Galicia Sur;   University of Vigo;   Galician South Health Research Institute
  Not yet recruiting

• Dietary Modulation of Gut Microbiota in Overweight/Obese Adolescents and COVID-19 Infection - Conditions:   Health Behavior;   Child Development;   Adolescent Obesity
  Interventions:   Dietary Supplement: Probiotics;   Behavioral: Counselling on healthy eating, physical activity, and psychosocial stimulation;   Dietary Supplement: Placebo probiotics
  Sponsors:   Indonesia University;   Gadjah Mada University;   Universitas Airlangga;   University of Melbourne;   The Indonesia Endowment Funds for Education, Ministry of Finance Indonesia
  Recruiting

• MT Combined With XKSA for Depressive Symptoms During COVID-19 - Condition:   Depression, Anxiety
  Interventions:   Other: MT Combined With XKSA;   Other: MT
  Sponsor:   Renrong Wu
  Completed

From PubMed

• Evaluation of action of steroid molecules on SARS-CoV-2 by inhibiting NSP-15, an endoribonuclease - Many countries in the world have recently experienced an outbreak of COVID-19, turned out to be a pandemic which significantly affected the world economy. Among many attempts to treat/control infection or to modulate host immunity, many small molecules including steroids were prescribed based on their use against other viral infection or inflammatory conditions. A recent report established the possibility of usage of a corticosteroid against the virus through inhibiting NSP-15; an mRNA…

• Co-ultramicronized palmitoylethanolamide/luteolin normalizes GABA_B-ergic activity and cortical plasticity in long COVID-19 syndrome - CONCLUSIONS: Eight weeks of treatment with PEA-LUT restore GABA(B) activity and cortical plasticity in long Covid patients.

• Ubiquitin specific peptidase 25 alleviates acute lung injury and suppresses the inflammatory response in lung epithelial cells - As COVID-19 spreads over the world, the treatment of acute lung injury (ALI) has attracted much attention. Considering ubiquitin-specific protease (USP) 25 has been relevant to inflammation, this article focused on its role in ALI and its regulatory mechanism. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was applied to separately stimulate mice and human lung epithelial cells to establish in vivo and in vitro ALI models. To discover the effects of USP25 overexpression on mouse, lung pathology, inflammatory factor…

• Combining Computational and Experimental Evidence on the Activity of Antimalarial Drugs on Papain-Like Protease of SARS-CoV-2: A Repurposing Study - The development of inhibitors that target the papain-like protease (PLpro) has the potential to counteract the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the agent causing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Based on a consideration of its several downstream effects, interfering with PLpro would both revert immune suppression exerted by the virus and inhibit viral replication. By following a repurposing strategy, the current study evaluates the potential of…

• Paxlovid^TM Information From FDA and Guidance for AES Members - This American Epilepsy Society (AES) official statement provides information and preliminary guidance to Society members related to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) December 22, 2021 Emergency Use Authorization for Paxlovid™ for the oral treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 in adults and children (≥12 years and weighing ≥40 kg). Paxlovid is likely to be widely prescribed, and important considerations for patients on antiseizure medications (ASMs) include key contraindications and…

• Platelet in thrombo-inflammation: Unraveling new therapeutic targets - In the broad range of human diseases, thrombo-inflammation appears as a clinical manifestation. Clinically, it is well characterized in context of superficial thrombophlebitis that is recognized as thrombosis and inflammation of superficial veins. However, it is more hazardous when developed in the microvasculature of injured/inflamed/infected tissues and organs. Several diseases like sepsis and ischemia-reperfusion can cause formation of microvascular thrombosis subsequently leading to…

• Recombinant proteins of spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 with the Omicron receptor-binding domain induce production of highly Omicron-specific neutralizing antibodies - Various vaccines have been developed to fight severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus responsible for the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. However, new variants of SARS-CoV-2 undermine the effort to fight SARS-CoV-2. Here, we produced S proteins harboring the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the Omicron variant in plants. Plant-produced S proteins together with adjuvant CIA09A triggered strong immune responses in mice. Antibodies in serum inhibited interaction…

• B-cell lymphoma-2 family proteins-activated proteases as potential therapeutic targets for influenza A virus and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2: Killing two birds with one stone? - The COVID-19 pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has led to a global health emergency. There are many similarities between SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A virus (IAV); both are single-stranded RNA viruses infecting airway epithelial cells and have similar modes of replication and transmission. Like IAVs, SARS-CoV-2 infections poses serious challenges due to the lack of effective therapeutic interventions, frequent appearances of new strains of the virus,…

• Common and rare variant associations with clonal haematopoiesis phenotypes - Clonal haematopoiesis involves the expansion of certain blood cell lineages and has been associated with ageing and adverse health outcomes^(1-5). Here we use exome sequence data on 628,388 individuals to identify 40,208 carriers of clonal haematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP). Using genome-wide and exome-wide association analyses, we identify 24 loci (21 of which are novel) where germline genetic variation influences predisposition to CHIP, including missense variants in the…

• Essential oils block cellular entry of SARS-CoV-2 delta variant - Aiming to fill a gap in the literature, we aimed to identify the most promising EOs blocking in vitro cellular entry of SARS-CoV-2 delta variant without conferring human cytotoxicity and provide insights into the influence of their composition on these activities. Twelve EOs were characterized by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. The antiviral and cytotoxicity activities were determined using the cell-based pseudoviral entry with SARS-CoV-2 delta pseudovirus and the XTT assay in…

• Comparison of RT-dPCR and RT-qPCR and the effects of freeze-thaw cycle and glycine release buffer for wastewater SARS-CoV-2 analysis - Public health efforts to control the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic rely on accurate information on the spread of the disease in the community. Acute and surveillance testing has been primarily used to characterize the extent of the disease. However, obtaining a representative sample of the human population is challenging because of limited testing capacity and incomplete testing compliance. Wastewater-based epidemiology is an agnostic alternative to…

• Meet changes with constancy: Defence, antagonism, recovery, and immunity roles of extracellular vesicles in confronting SARS-CoV-2 - Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has wrought havoc on the world economy and people’s daily lives. The inability to comprehensively control COVID-19 is due to the difficulty of early and timely diagnosis, the lack of effective therapeutic drugs, and the limited effectiveness of vaccines. The body contains billions of extracellular vesicles (EVs), which have shown remarkable potential in disease diagnosis, drug…

• Protocol for a 30-day randomised, parallel-group, non-inferiority, controlled trial investigating the effects of discontinuing renin-angiotensin system inhibitors in patients with and without COVID-19: the RASCOVID-19 trial - INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the virus SARS-CoV has spread rapidly and caused damage worldwide. Data suggest a major overrepresentation of hypertension and diabetes among patients experiencing severe courses of COVID-19 including COVID-19-related deaths. Many of these patients receive renin-angiotensin system (RAS) inhibiting therapy, and evidence suggests that treatment with angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) could attenuate SARS-CoV-induced acute respiratory distress…

• Plantaricin NC8 αβ rapidly and efficiently inhibits flaviviruses and SARS-CoV-2 by disrupting their envelopes - Potent broad-spectrum antiviral agents are urgently needed to combat existing and emerging viral infections. This is particularly important considering that vaccine development is a costly and time consuming process and that viruses constantly mutate and render the vaccine ineffective. Antimicrobial peptides (AMP), such as bacteriocins, are attractive candidates as antiviral agents against enveloped viruses. One of these bacteriocins is PLNC8 αβ, which consists of amphipathic peptides with…

• Characterizing the ligand-binding affinity toward SARS-CoV-2 Mpro via physics- and knowledge-based approaches - Computational approaches, including physics- and knowledge-based methods, have commonly been used to determine the ligand-binding affinity toward SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro or 3CLpro). Strong binding ligands can thus be suggested as potential inhibitors for blocking the biological activity of the protease. In this context, this paper aims to provide a short review of computational approaches that have recently been applied in the search for inhibitor candidates of Mpro. In particular,…

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