Covid-19 Sentry

Contents

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

From Preprints

• “Any advice for a pre-dad who is freaking out?”: A qualitative analysis of paternal perinatal experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic using the reddit forum predaddit -
  During the COVID-19 pandemic, new parents were disproportionately affected due to public health restrictions that changed service accessibility and increased stressors. Yet, minimal research to date has examined specific pandemic-related stressors and experiences of perinatal fathers in naturalistic anonymous settings. An important and relatively novel way parents seek connection and information is through online forum use, which increased during the social isolation of the pandemic. The current study qualitatively analyzed the experiences of perinatal fathers from September to December 2020 (792 posts, 8011 comments) through Framework Analytic Approach to identify unmet support needs during COVID-19 using the online subforum, predaddit. Five main themes emergent in the thematic framework included forum use, COVID-19, psychosocial distress, family functioning, and child health and development, each of which contained related subthemes. Findings highlight the utility of predaddit as a source of information for and interactions of fathers to inform mental health services.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: “Any advice for a pre-dad who is freaking out?”: A qualitative analysis of paternal perinatal experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic using the reddit forum predaddit
• Paternal Depression & Anxiety During the COVID-19 Pandemic -
  COVID-19 influences maternal mental health; however, paternal mental health must be examined. This study describes depression and anxiety and risk/protective factors among fathers of young children. Fathers (N=106) of children 0-8 years old self-reported mental health symptoms, while mothers (N=263) provided paternal depression reports. Fathers evidenced clinically significant depression (37.1%) and anxiety (22.9%), with financial strain and mental health history increasing risk. Maternal-reported paternal depression was prevalent (61.9%) and associated with financial strain, more children, and lower maternal-reported marital quality. Paternal depression and anxiety are elevated versus pre-pandemic comparisons. We must evaluate parental outcomes to promote family well-being and child development.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Paternal Depression & Anxiety During the COVID-19 Pandemic
• The Fc-effector function of COVID-19 convalescent plasma contributes to SARS-CoV-2 treatment efficacy in mice -
  COVID-19 convalescent plasmas (CCPs) are chosen for plasma therapy based on neutralizing titers and anti-Spike immunoglobulin levels. However, specific CCP characteristics that promote SARS-CoV-2 control in recipients are complex and incompletely defined. Using an in vivo imaging approach, we demonstrate that CCPs with low neutralizing and high Fc-effector activity, in contrast to those with poor Fc-function, afford effective prophylaxis and therapy in K18-hACE2 mice lethally challenged with SARS-CoV-2-nLuc. Macrophages and neutrophils significantly contributed to CCP effects during therapy but to a reduced extent under prophylaxis. Both IgG and Ig(M+A) were required during therapy, but the IgG fraction alone was sufficient during prophylaxis. Finally, despite neutralizing poorly, SARS-CoV-2 Wuhan-elicited CCPs delayed Delta and Beta variants of concern (VOC)-induced mortality in mice illustrating the contribution of polyclonal Fc-effector functions in immunity against VOCs. Thus, in addition to neutralization, Fc-effector activity is a significant criterion for CCP selection for therapeutic applications.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: The Fc-effector function of COVID-19 convalescent plasma contributes to SARS-CoV-2 treatment efficacy in mice
• Ivermectin for Treatment of Mild-to-Moderate COVID-19 in the Outpatient Setting: A Decentralized, Placebo-controlled, Randomized, Platform Clinical Trial -

  Background: The effectiveness of ivermectin to shorten symptom duration or prevent hospitalization among outpatients in the United States with mild-to-moderate symptomatic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is unknown. Objective: We evaluated the efficacy of ivermectin 400 mcg/kg daily for 3 days compared with placebo for the treatment of early mild-to-moderate COVID-19. Methods: ACTIV-6 is an ongoing, decentralized, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled platform trial to evaluate repurposed therapies in outpatients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19. Non-hospitalized adults age >=30 years with confirmed COVID-19, experiencing 2 or more symptoms of acute infection for <=7 days were randomized to receive ivermectin 400 mcg/kg daily for 3 days or placebo. The main outcome measure was time to sustained recovery, defined as achieving at least 3 consecutive days without symptoms. Secondary outcomes included a composite of hospitalization or death by day 28. Results: Of the 3457 participants who consented to be evaluated for inclusion in the ivermectin arm, 1591 were eligible for this study arm, randomized to receive ivermectin 400 mcg/kg (n=817) or placebo (n=774), and received study drug. Of those enrolled, 47% reported receiving at least 2 doses of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. The posterior probability for any improvement in time to recovery was 0.91 (hazard ratio 1.07, 95% credible interval 0.96 to 1.17). The posterior probability of this benefit exceeding 24 hours was less than 0.01, as measured by the difference in mean time unwell. Hospitalizations or deaths were uncommon (ivermectin [n=10]; placebo [n=9]). Ivermectin at 400 mcg/kg was safe and without serious adverse events as compared with placebo (ivermectin [n=10]; placebo [n=9]). Conclusions: Ivermectin dosed at 400 mcg/kg daily for 3 days resulted in less than one day of shortening of symptoms and did not lower incidence of hospitalization or death among outpatients with COVID-19 in the United States during the delta and omicron variant time periods. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04885530.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Ivermectin for Treatment of Mild-to-Moderate COVID-19 in the Outpatient Setting: A Decentralized, Placebo-controlled, Randomized, Platform Clinical Trial
• Effect of Yoga on the stress, anxiety, and depression of COVID-19 positive patients. A pre-post quasi randomized study. -
  Background and aim: - Due to the spread of COVID-19 there have been reports of increase in stress, anxiety, and depression across the society, especially so in the affected people, impacting the mental health and well-being. This paper reports a quasi-randomized control study conducted in covid wards of a hospital, to examine the efficacy of add-on yoga intervention in reducing stress, anxiety, and depression in the covid affected patients under quarantine. The oxygen saturation level (SPO2) and heart rate (HR) of the covid affected patients were also measured along with the stress. Experimental procedure: - A total of sixty-two COVID-19 positive patients participated in the study. The participants were randomized into the control group (n=31) which received conventional medical treatment alone and the yoga intervention group (n=31) which additionally received 50 minutes of yoga intervention along with conventional medical treatment. Standardized scales of Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS-14), Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) were administered at the beginning as well as at the end of the quarantine period. Results: - A significant decrease in stress, anxiety and depression were observed in the patients who undertook the add-on yoga intervention. Also, improvement in SPO2 and HR levels were observed in the group of patients who were practicing yoga. Conclusion- Findings of this study suggest that add-on Yoga intervention can be an effective add-on practice in reducing stress, anxiety, and depression level of COVID-19 patients.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Effect of Yoga on the stress, anxiety, and depression of COVID-19 positive patients. A pre-post quasi randomized study.
• Evolutionary trajectory of the physicochemical mechanism of interaction of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein with ACE2 -
  SARS-CoV-2 infects cells by attachment to its receptor the angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). Regardless of the wealth of structural data, little is known about the physicochemical mechanism of interactions of the viral spike (S) protein with ACE2 and how this mechanism has evolved during the pandemic. Here, we applied experimental and computational approaches to characterize the molecular interaction of S proteins from SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOC). Data on kinetics, activation- and equilibrium thermodynamics of binding of the receptor binding domain (RBD) from VOC with ACE2 as well as data from computational protein electrostatics revealed a profound remodeling of the physicochemical characteristics of the interaction during the evolution. Thus, as compared to RBDs from Wuhan strain and other VOC, Omicron RBD presented as a unique protein in terms of conformational dynamics and types of non-covalent forces driving the complex formation with ACE2. Viral evolution resulted in a restriction of the RBD structural dynamics, and a shift to a major role of electrostatic forces for ACE2 binding. Further, we investigated how the reshaping of the physicochemical qualities affect the functional properties of S proteins. Data from various binding assays revealed that SARS-CoV-2 Wuhan and Omicron RBDs manifest capacity for off-target (promiscuous) recognition of multiple unrelated proteins, but they harbor distinct reactivity patterns. This study provides mechanistic explanations for changes in the viral tropism, infectivity, and capacity to evade immune responses during evolution.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Evolutionary trajectory of the physicochemical mechanism of interaction of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein with ACE2
• The Effect of Perceived Workplace Bureaucracies on Self-Evaluated Efficacy, Job Satisfaction and Motivation in the Workplace during the COVID-19 Pandemic -
  Workplace bureaucracies impact many areas of an employee’s life. Perceived high levels of bureaucracy can negatively impact employees’ job motivation, satisfaction, and performance. During the COVID-19 pandemic, infection containment measures may have contributed to the factors underlying the “great resignation” via the lack of self-efficacy from perceived bureaucracy. Recruiting 240 full-time employees in late 2021 to early 2022 across organisations in both private and public sectors in Singapore online with the Work Extrinsic Intrinsic Motivation Scale, the Workplace Bureaucracy Questionnaire and the General Self-Efficacy Scale among demographic parameters, 228 participants were analysed after removal of missing data. Salary range, education levels, employee self-efficacy and job motivation were found to be negatively associated with perceived workplace bureaucracies but not gender, age, and length of service. The findings of the study may provide insight into the mechanism of increased perceived bureaucracy during the COVID-19 pandemic on the employee experience that would be relevant to the workplace environment during in normal times.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: The Effect of Perceived Workplace Bureaucracies on Self-Evaluated Efficacy, Job Satisfaction and Motivation in the Workplace during the COVID-19 Pandemic
• Un nuevo urbanismo para Europa: los fondos europeos de recuperación y su proyección en el futuro de las ciudades - A NEW URBANISM FOR EUROPE: THE EUROPEAN RECOVERY FUNDS, AND THEIR IMPACT ON THE FUTURE OF CITIES -
  The Next Generation EU (NGEU) fund is a European Union economic recovery package to support member states adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This program represents an unprecedented effort. Besides promoting a European Union more ecological, digital, and resilient, the recovery funds aim at financing projects of public-private partnership around a series of issues. Some especially related to urbanism, such as ecological transition, smart, sustainable, integrative growth, or social and territorial cohesion. In the first part of the present work, we analyze the evolution of urbanism in Europe since the 1972 European Soil Charter, adopted by the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. Secondly, we examine potential areas where urban projects could be promoted implementing European funds, in connection with the new Leipzig Charter and the European Territorial Agenda 2030, which support an urban environment more just, green, and productive.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Un nuevo urbanismo para Europa: los fondos europeos de recuperación y su proyección en el futuro de las ciudades - A NEW URBANISM FOR EUROPE: THE EUROPEAN RECOVERY FUNDS, AND THEIR IMPACT ON THE FUTURE OF CITIES
• SARS-CoV-2 minor variant genomes at the start of the pandemic contained markers of VoCs -
  SARS-CoV-2 emerged through limited zoonotic spillovers and was predicted to have constrained sequence diversity. The dominant consensus and minor variant genomes were determined from the earliest samples associated with the Huanan market and the start of the pandemic. The sequence data confirmed that the dominant consensus genomes shared very close homology. However, there were minor variant genomes present in each sample, which encompassed synonymous and non-synonymous changes. Fusion sequences characteristic of defective RNAs were identified that could be linked between patients. Several substitutions (but not deletions) associated with much later variants of concern (VoCs) were already present as minor variant genomes. This suggests it may be possible to predict futures variants at the start of a pandemic by examining where variability in sequence occurs.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: SARS-CoV-2 minor variant genomes at the start of the pandemic contained markers of VoCs
• Inferring selection effects in SARS-CoV-2 with Bayesian Viral Allele Selection -
  The global effort to sequence millions of SARS-CoV-2 genomes has provided an unprecedented view of viral evolution. Characterizing how selection acts on SARS-CoV-2 is critical to developing effective, long-lasting vaccines and other treatments, but the scale and complexity of genomic surveillance data make rigorous analysis challenging. To meet this challenge, we develop Bayesian Viral Allele Selection (BVAS), a principled and scalable probabilistic method for inferring the genetic determinants of differential viral fitness and the relative growth rates of viral lineages, including newly emergent lineages. After demonstrating the accuracy and efficacy of our method through simulation, we apply BVAS to 6.9 million SARS-CoV-2 genomes. We identify numerous mutations that increase fitness, including previously identified mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 Spike and Nucleocapsid proteins, as well as mutations in non-structural proteins whose contribution to fitness is less well characterized. In addition, we extend our baseline model to identify mutations whose fitness exhibits strong dependence on vaccination status as well as pairwise interaction effects, i.e. epistasis. Strikingly, both these analyses point to the pivotal role played by the N501 residue in the Spike protein. Our method, which couples Bayesian variable selection with a diffusion approximation in allele frequency space, lays a foundation for identifying fitness-associated mutations under the assumption that most alleles are neutral.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Inferring selection effects in SARS-CoV-2 with Bayesian Viral Allele Selection
• Can starch-based diet or sugar water put an end to the COVID-19 pandemic? -
  High valine plus glycine content is a feature of the proteins in SARS-CoV-2 and SARS viruses, and it causes the generation of aggregates between proteins and insoluble calcium salts via secondary chemical bonding. Starch-based diet or sugar water with adequate vitamins can go for many days without the generation of essential amino acids such as valine, creating bottlenecks in virion production in human body. Despite its potential carcinogenicity, modest lysine supplement can be favorable as lysine rich proteins gather chloride and solubilize stressful, insoluble and stiff calcium oxalate and calcium phosphate.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Can starch-based diet or sugar water put an end to the COVID-19 pandemic?
• The Prospective Relationship between Loneliness, Life Satisfaction, and Psychological Distress before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic in the UK -
  Background Mental wellbeing in the UK seems to have deteriorated significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the rates of loneliness, life satisfaction, and psychological distress taking longer to return to the pre-pandemic levels than elsewhere. Nevertheless, there is little knowledge about the interactions between these outcomes, or the factors that played a role. Methods Longitudinal data from Understanding Society (N=3475) were used to explore the changes in loneliness, life satisfaction, and psychological distress from pre-pandemic levels (2017-19) through November 2020, the interactions between these outcomes, and the role of individual differences in the rates of change, using multivariate latent growth curve model. Results Loneliness, life satisfaction, and psychological distress deteriorated minimally between April and November 2020, compared to the pre-pandemic levels (2017-2019), while the rate of change in each outcome influenced the rate of change in the other two. Key individual (age, gender, physical health), social (number of friends) and environmental (neighbourhood quality) variables influenced baseline scores and the rates of change. Conclusion Considering significant dynamic associations between loneliness, life satisfaction, and psychological distress, we argue that interventions to tackle any one of the outcomes may have beneficial effects on others, while highlighting individual and community-level interventions to tackle loneliness.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: The Prospective Relationship between Loneliness, Life Satisfaction, and Psychological Distress before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic in the UK
• Experiences of First Year University Students Regarding Institutional Mentoring Programme during COVID-19 Outbreak: A Qualitative Evidence Synthesis -
  Universities had to ensure that students were well supported during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the years, peer mentors have provided one-on-one psychosocial support to first-year students. Following the outbreak of COVID-19, it became difficult to provide face-to-face assistance. As a result, new forms of communities, networks, and interactions, that student can develop and participate in, emerged to cope with the crisis. The problem is that students encounter unexpected challenges from the moment they arrive at university, owing to the substantial shift in roles and complex responsibilities that comes with being a student at a university. The purpose of this study is to investigate students’ first-year experiences during the COVID-19 outbreak so as to provide insights that could be useful for institutional policy and practice. The study was undertake a Qualitative Evidence Systematic Review, which is a summary of research literature focused on a single subject that claims the role of systematic reviews in evidence-based practices. A qualitative meta-synthesis was conducted using the PICO framework (Population/Place; Intervention; Comparator; Outcome) so as to seek to answer the question: “What are the experiences of first-year university students regarding the institutional mentoring programme during the Covid-19 Outbreak?” Articles were critically reviewed for eligibility using the PRISMA flow diagram, with relevance screening and duplicate removal using the CASP assessment tool. This is a method that allows the researcher to evaluate data both deductively and interpretively to better understand phenomena. In total fifteen articles were selected for this study; they were chosen through purposive sampling and then subjected to thematic analysis. The findings of this study are expected to add to the existing body of knowledge on the first-year university student experience.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Experiences of First Year University Students Regarding Institutional Mentoring Programme during COVID-19 Outbreak: A Qualitative Evidence Synthesis
• The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on bronchiolitis (lower respiratory tract infection) due to respiratory syncytial virus: A systematic review and meta-analysis -

  Objective This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to quantitatively evaluate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) associated bronchiolitis among hospitalised infants. Methods The study protocol was registered in the PROSPERO database (CRD42022314000) and was designed based on PRISMA guidelines updated in May 2020. The meta-analysis component was modified appropriately to synthesise the pooled proportion of infants having RSV-associated bronchiolitis before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019 and during the pandemic with 95% confidence interval (CI). Results: The eight qualified studies for the meta-analysis were from Spain, Italy, France and China, including 109,186 symptomatic cases of bronchiolitis before the pandemic in 2019 and 61,982 cases in 2020-2021. The quantitative analysis included laboratory-confirmed RSV infection in 7691 infants with bronchiolitis reported before the pandemic in 2019. Meanwhile, during the pandemic, 4964 cases were associated with RSV infection. The pooled proportion of RSV-associated bronchiolitis cases before the pandemic in 2019 was 16.74% (95% CI 11.73-22.43%). The pooled proportion of confirmed RSV cases during the pandemic in 2020/2021 was 19.20 % (95% CI 12.01-27.59%). Conclusion There was an increase in RSV activity after the relaxation of stringent public health measures during the COVID-19 pandemic.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on bronchiolitis (lower respiratory tract infection) due to respiratory syncytial virus: A systematic review and meta-analysis
• The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on influenza surveillance: a systematic review and meta-analysis -

  Influenza activity was reported to be below the seasonal levels during the COVID-19 pandemic globally. However, during the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak, the routine real-time surveillance of influenza like illness (ILI) and acute respiratory infection (ARI) was adversely affected due to the changes in priorities, economic constraints, repurposing of hospitals for COVID care and closure of outpatient services. A systematic review and meta-analysis were carried out to assess the pooled proportion of symptomatic cases tested for influenza virus before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019 and during the pandemic in 2020/2021. The study was designed based on PRISMA guidelines and the meta-analysis was performed to synthesise the pooled proportion of patients sampled for influenza surveillance before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019 and during the pandemic in 2020/21 with 95% confidence interval (CI). The overall pooled proportion of symptomatic cases undergone influenza surveillance before and during the pandemic was 2.38% (95% CI 2.08%-2.67%) and 4.18% (95% CI 3.8%-4.52%) respectively. However, the pooled proportion of samples tested for influenza before the pandemic was 0.69% (95% CI 0.45-0.92%) and during the pandemic was 0.48% (95% CI 0.28-0.68%) when studies from Canada were excluded. The meta-analysis concludes that globally there was a decline in influenza surveillance during the COVID-19 pandemic except in Canada.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on influenza surveillance: a systematic review and meta-analysis

From Clinical Trials

• Phase I Clinical Trial of GEN2-Recombinant COVID-19 Vaccine (CHO Cells) in Healthy People Aged 18 and Above - Condition:   COVID-19 Pneumonia
  Interventions:   Biological: Experimental Vaccine 1;   Biological: Experimental Vaccine 2;   Biological: Experimental Vaccine 3;   Biological: placebo
  Sponsors:   National Vaccine and Serum Institute, China;   Lanzhou Institute of Biological Products Co., Ltd;   Beijing Institute of Biological Products Co Ltd.
  Not yet recruiting

• COVID-19 Algorithm Treatment at Home - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Drug: Recommended treatment schedule;   Drug: Usual care
  Sponsor:   Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research
  Not yet recruiting

• Eucalyptus Oil as Adjuvant Therapy for Coronavirus Disease 19 (COVID-19) - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Drug: Eucalyptus Oil;   Drug: Standard COVID medication
  Sponsors:   Hasanuddin University;   Ministry of Agriculture, Republic of Indonesia
  Completed

• Study of Oral High/Low-dose Cepharanthine Compared With Placebo in Non Hospitalized Adults With COVID-19 - Condition:   Asymptomatic COVID-19
  Interventions:   Drug: Cepharanthine;   Drug: Placebo
  Sponsors:   Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine;   YUNNAN BAIYAO GROUP CO.,LTD
  Not yet recruiting

• Epidemiological Monitoring of COVID-19 Patients Hospitalized on Reunion Island - Condition:   COVID-19
  Intervention:   Other: telephone interview 24 months after hospitalization for Covid-19
  Sponsor:   Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de la Réunion
  Not yet recruiting

• α-synuclein Seeding Activity in the Olfactory Mucosa in COVID-19 - Condition:   COVID-19
  Intervention:   Other: Real-time Quaking-Induced Conversion (RT-QuIC)
  Sponsor:   Medical University Innsbruck
  Recruiting

• Randomized, Single-blinded, Multicenter Trial Comparing the Immune Response to a 2nd Booster Dose of COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech) or Sanofi /GSK B.1.351 Adjuvanted Vaccine in Adults - Condition:   COVID-19 Vaccines
  Interventions:   Biological: 2nd booster with Comirnaty® (Pfizer-BioNTech);   Biological: CoV2 preS dTM adjuvanted vaccine (B.1.351), Sanofi/GSK
  Sponsors:   Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris;   IREIVAC/COVIREIVAC Network
  Not yet recruiting

• Immunogenicity and Safety of a Third Dose of COVID-19 Vaccine(Vero Cell), Inactivated in the Elderly - Condition:   COVID-19
  Intervention:   Biological: COVID-19 Vaccine (Vero cell), Inactivated
  Sponsor:   Sinovac Life Sciences Co., Ltd.
  Active, not recruiting

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

• Immunogenicity and Safety Study of Booster Vaccine With the COVID-19 Vaccine (Vero Cell), Inactivated, Omicron Strain - Condition:   COVID-19
  Intervention:   Biological: COVID-19 Vaccine (Vero Cell), Inactivated, Omicron Strain
  Sponsor:   Sinovac Biotech (Hong Kong) Limited
  Not yet recruiting

• A Phase 1b Trial to Evaluate the Safety and Immunogenicity of a SARS-CoV-2 mRNA Chimera Vaccine Against COVID-19 - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Biological: RQ3013;   Biological: Comirnaty
  Sponsors:   Walvax Biotechnology Co., Ltd.;   Shanghai RNACure Biopharma Co., Ltd.
  Not yet recruiting

• Plerixafor in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Related to COVID-19 (Phase IIb) - Conditions:   COVID-19 Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome;   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Drug: Plerixafor 20 MG/ML [Mozobil];   Other: Placebo
  Sponsor:   4Living Biotech
  Not yet recruiting

• Effects of Telerehabilitative Aerobic and Relaxation Exercises Patients With Type 2 Diabetes With and Without COVID-19 - Conditions:   COVID-19;   Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
  Intervention:   Other: Aerobic and Relaxation Exercises
  Sponsor:   Bozyaka Training and Research Hospital
  Active, not recruiting

• Inhibition of Bradykinin in COVID-19 Infection With Icatibant - Condition:   SARS CoV 2 Infection
  Interventions:   Drug: Icatibant;   Drug: 0.9% Sodium Chloride Injection
  Sponsors:   Belfast Health and Social Care Trust;   Queen’s University, Belfast
  Recruiting

• Effect of Prone Positioning on the Severity of COVID-19 Pneumonia and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. - Conditions:   COVID-19 Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome;   COVID-19 Pneumonia;   Prone Positioning
  Intervention:   Other: Prone Positioning Maneuver
  Sponsors:   Ayub Medical College, Abbottabad;   Ayub Teaching Hospital
  Completed

From PubMed

• The use of ivermectin for the treatment of COVID-19: Panacea or enigma? - The outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has triggered unprecedented social, economic and health challenges. To control and reduce the infection rate, countries employed non-pharmaceutical measures such as social distancing, isolation, quarantine, and the use of masks, hand and surface sanitisation. Since 2021 a global race for COVID-19 vaccination ensued, mainly due to a lack of equitable vaccine production and distribution. To date, no treatments have been demonstrated to cure COVID-19. The…

• Sewage surveillance for SARS-CoV-2: Molecular detection, quantification, and normalization factors - The presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) in wastewater systems provides a primary indication of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) spread throughout communities worldwide. Droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (dd-PCR) or reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) administration of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewaters provides a reliable and efficient technology for gathering secondary local-level public health data. Often the accuracy of…

• C/EBPα Epigenetically Modulates TFF1 Expression via mC-6 Methylation in the Jejunum Inflammation Induced by a Porcine Coronavirus - Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) is an emerging coronavirus which causes acute diarrhea and destroys gastrointestinal barrier function in neonatal pigs. Trefoil factor 1 (TFF1) is a protective peptide for maintaining the integrity of gastrointestinal mucosa and reducing intestinal inflammation. However, its role in protecting intestinal epithelium against PEDV infection is still unclear. In this study, we discovered that TFF1 expression was activated in the jejunum of pigs with PEDV…

• Impact of Thermal Pretreatment of Saliva on the RT-PCR Detection of SARS-CoV-2 - The use of saliva directly as a specimen to detect viral RNA by RT-PCR has been tested for a long time as its advantages are relevant in terms of convenience and costs. However, as other body fluids, its proven inhibition effect on the amplification reaction can be troublesome and compromise its use in the detection of viral particles. The aim of the present work is to demonstrate that saliva pretreatment may influence the RT-PCR amplification of three gene targets of SARS-CoV-2 significantly. A…

• Pralatrexate for Peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL): Chance only supports the prepared mind. Systematic review - CONCLUSION: While there are manageable side effects such as thrombocytopenia, neutropenia, and mucositis, it is critical to explore new approaches, targeted agents, novel cellular therapies, and immunotherapies to determine optimal pretreatment in the rare but heterogeneous disease PTCL, and future studies and experienced haematologists are needed.

• Antivirals and the Potential Benefits of Orally Inhaled Drug Administration in COVID-19 Treatment - Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been on the agenda of humanity for more than 2 years. In the meantime, the pandemic has caused economic shutdowns, halt of daily lives and global mobility, overcrowding of the healthcare systems, panic, and worse, more than 6 million deaths. Today, there is still no specific therapy for COVID-19. Research focuses on repurposing of antiviral drugs that are licensed or currently in the research phase, with a known systemic safety profile. However,…

• Conserved coronavirus proteins as targets of broad-spectrum antivirals - Coronaviruses are a class of single-stranded, positive-sense RNA viruses that have caused three major outbreaks over the past two decades: Middle East respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus (MERS-CoV), severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). All outbreaks have been associated with significant morbidity and mortality. In this study, we have identified and explored conserved binding sites in the key coronavirus…

• Combined exploration of the mechanism of Sang Xing Decoction in the treatment of smoke-induced acute bronchitis from protein and metabolic levels - Sang Xing decoction (SXD) is a typical prescription for treating “warm dryness” in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), which is equivalent to respiratory diseases such as acute bronchitis in modern medicine. However, its mechanism of action remains unclear. In this study, the representative components of SXD were characterized using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The key targets, signaling pathways, and metabolic pathways associated with SXD in the treatment of acute…

• GMI, a protein from Ganoderma microsporum, induces ACE2 degradation to alleviate infection of SARS-CoV-2 Spike-pseudotyped virus - CONCLUSIONS: GMI prevents SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus infection via induction of ACE2 degradation in host cells. Our findings suggest that GMI will be a potential prevention agent to alleviate SARS-CoV-2 infection.

• Prevalence of alcohol-tolerant and antibiotic-resistant bacterial pathogens on public hand sanitizer dispensers - CONCLUSION: HSDs serve as potential breeding grounds for dissemination of pathogens and antibiotic resistance across unknowing users. Proper HSD maintenance will ensure protection of public health and sustainable use of sanitizing alcohols, to prevent emergence of alcohol-resistant pathogens.

• Risk stratification models for stroke in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 infection - CONCLUSIONS: We developed a practical clinical score, with similar performance to machine learning estimators, to help stratify stroke risk among patients hospitalized with COVID-19.

• The spike glycoprotein of highly pathogenic human coronaviruses: structural insights for understanding infection, evolution and inhibition - Highly pathogenic human coronaviruses (CoV) including SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 have emerged over the past two decades, resulting in infectious disease outbreaks that have greatly affected public health. The CoV surface spike (S) glycoprotein mediates receptor binding and membrane fusion for cell entry, playing critical roles in CoV infection and evolution. The S glycoprotein is also the major target molecule for prophylactic and therapeutic interventions, including neutralizing…

• Inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis by potent peptides designed by the mutation of ACE2 binding region - The outbreak of COVID-19 has resulted in millions of deaths. Despite all attempts that have been made to combat the pandemic, the re-emergence of new variants complicated SARS-CoV-2 eradication. The ongoing global spread of COVID-19 demands the incessant development of novel agents in vaccination, diagnosis, and therapeutics. Targeting receptor-binding domain (RBD) of spike protein by which the virus identifies host receptor, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE2), is a promising strategy for…

• Discovery of novel SARS-CoV-2 inhibitors targeting the main protease M^pro by virtual screenings and hit optimization - Two years after its emergence, SARS-CoV-2 still represents a serious and global threat to human health. Antiviral drug development usually takes a long time and, to increase the chances of success, chemical variability of hit compounds represents a valuable source for the discovery of new antivirals. In this work, we applied a platform of variably oriented virtual screening campaigns to seek for novel chemical scaffolds for SARS-CoV-2 main protease (M^(pro)) inhibitors. The study on the…

• Breaking boundaries: Pan BETi disrupt 3D chromatin structure, BD2-selective BETi are strictly epigenetic transcriptional regulators - BACKGROUND: Bromodomain and extraterminal proteins (BETs) are more than just epigenetic regulators of transcription. Here we highlight a new role for the BET protein BRD4 in the maintenance of higher order chromatin structure at Topologically Associating Domain Boundaries (TADBs). BD2-selective and pan (non-selective) BET inhibitors (BETi) differentially support chromatin structure, selectively affecting transcription and cell viability.

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