Covid-19 Sentry

Contents

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

From Preprints

• The Lived Experiences of Post-Pandemic Working Students on Face-to-Face Learning Modality -
  The COVID-19 pandemic has caused widespread disruptions in educational institutions, presenting a challenging routine for working students who juggle employment and academic pursuits. This study aims to uncover the lived experiences of post-pandemic working students in the context of face-to-face learning. A descriptive phenomenological approach was employed to explore and capture their experiences. Purposive sampling was utilized to collect data from seven working students who met the inclusion criteria. The data analysis followed Braun and Clarke’s (2006) method, involving the extraction of codes, categories, and themes from the responses obtained through semi-structured interviews. As a result of the analysis, six major themes emerged: (1) financial struggles, (2) personal objectives, (3) time and schedule adjustments, (4) struggles with utilizing physical and social skills, (5) paying off debt, and (6) futurism. The findings indicate that working students require time to adapt and overcome the challenges and difficulties presented in the post-pandemic period. Therefore, it is crucial to provide them with support and measures to ensure that their studies and employment are not compromised.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: The Lived Experiences of Post-Pandemic Working Students on Face-to-Face Learning Modality
• Combination therapy with oral antiviral and anti-inflammatory drugs improves the efficacy of delayed treatment in severe COVID-19 -
  Pulmonary infection with SARS-CoV-2 stimulates host immune responses and can also result in the progression of dysregulated and critical inflammation. Throughout the pandemic, the management and treatment of COVID-19 has been continuously updated with a range of antiviral drugs and immunomodulators. Monotherapy with oral antivirals has proven to be effective in the treatment of COVID-19. However, the treatment should be initiated in the early stages of infection to ensure beneficial therapeutic outcomes, and there is still room for further consideration on therapeutic strategies using antivirals. Here, we show that the oral antiviral ensitrelvir combined with the anti-inflammatory corticosteroid methylprednisolone has higher therapeutic effects and better outcomes in a delayed dosing model of SARS-CoV-2 infected hamsters compared to the monotherapy with ensitrelvir or methylprednisolone alone. Combination therapy with these drugs improved respiratory conditions and the development of pneumonia in hamsters even when the treatment was started after 2 days post infection. The combination therapy led to a differential histological and transcriptomic pattern in comparison to either of the monotherapies, with reduced lung damage and down-regulated expressions of genes involved in inflammatory response. Furthermore, we found that the combination treatment is effective in infection with both highly pathogenic delta and circulating omicron variants. Our results demonstrate the advantage of combination therapy with antiviral and corticosteroid drugs in COVID-19 treatment. Since both drugs are available as oral medications, this combination therapy could provide a clinical and potent therapeutic option for COVID-19.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Combination therapy with oral antiviral and anti-inflammatory drugs improves the efficacy of delayed treatment in severe COVID-19
• The role of personality, conspiracy mentality, REBT irrational beliefs, and adult attachment in COVID-19 related health behaviors -
  There is evidence that different types of irrational thinking and beliefs are significant predictors of questionable and maladaptive COVID-19 related health practices. In this study, we investigated the role of two under-researched types of irrational thinking, more typical for a clinical setting: irrational beliefs defined in Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) and attachment anxiety and avoidance. We investigated whether REBT irrational beliefs, attachment dimensions, and conspiracy mentality mediated the relationship between personality traits, on the one side, and COVID-19 health behaviors, on the other. We proposed that HEXACO personality traits, and especially Disintegration (proneness to psychotic-like experiences) predicted irrational thinking and beliefs, which in turn predicted higher susceptibility to questionable health practices. Structural equation modeling on a sample of 287 participants from the general population, showed that Disintegration was related to REBT irrational beliefs, attachment dimensions, and conspiracy mentality, highlighting the important effect of Disintegration on irrational thinking and beliefs. Conspiracy mentality mediated the effects of Disintegration to low adherence to recommended health behaviors - RHB , and greater use of pseudoscientific practices - PSP . Attachment anxiety mediated the relationship between high Disintegration, high Emotionality (E), and low Honesty (H), and lower adherence to RHB. REBT irrational beliefs and attachment avoidance did not mediate the relationship between personality traits and COVID-19 health behaviors.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: The role of personality, conspiracy mentality, REBT irrational beliefs, and adult attachment in COVID-19 related health behaviors
• Covid-19-related stressors and mental disorders and distress: A cross-sectional, nationally-representative, face-to-face survey in Serbia -
  Aim. The Covid-19 pandemic may be associated with an increase in mental disorders and mental distress. However, there are no representative studies testing the impact of stressors directly related to Covid-19. We aimed to determine whether Covid-19 related stressors were associated with mental disorders and mental distress in the second year of the pandemic. Method. This cross-sectional observational epidemiological survey was conducted from June to October 2021. We interviewed a representative sample of the adult population in Serbia (18-65 years) in the second year of the pandemic, at a time when large parts of the population had been affected by the pandemic in different ways. Multistage probabilistic household sampling of the adult population in 60 municipalities was used. Mental disorders were assessed by in-person interviews using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview and depression and anxiety symptoms were self-rated on the PHQ-9 and GAD-7. Covid-19 related stressors i.e., infection, self-isolation, infection of a close relative, and lack of protective equipment at work, as well as stressors during the pandemic that were not directly Covid-19 related were measured. Associations of potential predictor variables with mental disorders and mental distress were explored through univariable and multivariable regression analyses. Results. In total, 1023 individuals (mean age 43.7±13.6 years, 48.7% male) were interviewed. Most respondents (67.8%) of the sample had already experienced Covid-19 related stressors (20.1% had Covid-19 infection; 43.2% had a close relative member who had Covid-19; 28.1% had to work without appropriate protection; 27.5% had been in quarantine themselves) and about 50% had already been vaccinated. The prevalence of any mental disorder was 15.2% (95% CI 13.2–17.2): mood disorders 4.6%, anxiety disorders 4.3% and substance use disorders 8.0%. Mean levels of distress were: PHQ-9=3.2±3.8; GAD-7=2.1±3.1. A lack of protective equipment was associated with higher levels of any disorder, anxiety disorders, and anxiety symptoms. No other Covid-19 related stressor predicted mental disorders or mental distress. Conclusions. In this study, lack of personal protective equipment for Covid-19 when it would have been appropriate was associated with higher levels of anxiety and a greater frequency of anxiety disorders. Provision of the appropriate equipment at workplaces is likely to prevent lasting increased levels of anxiety. There is no evidence that the prevalence of mental disorders in the second year was elevated.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Covid-19-related stressors and mental disorders and distress: A cross-sectional, nationally-representative, face-to-face survey in Serbia
• Are COVID-19 conspiracies a threat to public health? Psychological characteristics and health protective behaviours of believers -
  The fast-changing COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to many conspiracy theories, and these have the potential to undermine public health measures and safeguarding behaviours. We conducted three studies before and during the COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom (UK) (n = 302, 404 and 399) to (i) identify the prevalence of COVID-19 conspiracy theories in the UK, (ii) map their socio-psychological predictors, and (iii) investigate their association with health safeguarding behaviours. We found COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs were prevalent (25% of participants endorsed at least one) and predicted by beliefs in unrelated conspiracies, a conspiracy mind-set, distrust in governmental authorities, education, and cognitive reflection. Unexpectedly, COVID-19 conspiracy believers adhered to basic health guidelines both before and after the lockdown as strictly as non-believers (e.g., washing hands, social distancing) and adopted more advanced health protective behaviours not (yet) officially recommended in the UK (e.g., wearing a mask, washing groceries with soap). Conspiracy believers were also more reluctant to install the contact-tracing app, get tested for and vaccinated against COVID-19 because of the perceived risks associated with these procedures. We discuss psychological characteristics that explain the relationship between conspiracy beliefs and people’s behaviours and intentions, and suggest practical recommendations for public health initiatives.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Are COVID-19 conspiracies a threat to public health? Psychological characteristics and health protective behaviours of believers
• What drives us to be (ir)responsible for our health during the COVID-19 pandemic? The role of personality, thinking styles and conspiracy mentality -
  Abstract The study aimed to investigate the role of personality, thinking styles, and conspiracy mentality in health-related behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic, i.e., recommended health behaviors according to COVID-19 guidelines and engagement in pseudoscientific practices related to COVID-19. Basic personality space was defined by the HEXACO model complemented by Disintegration, which represents psychotic-like experiences and behaviors reconceptualized as a personality trait. Mediation analyses conducted on a convenient sample from the general population recruited via social media and by snowballing (N=417) showed that engagement in pseudoscientific behaviors was predicted by high Disintegration. However, this relationship was entirely mediated by high experiential and low rational thinking styles. Adherence to health practices recommended by COVID-19 guidelines was predicted by high Honesty traits, while low Disintegration had both direct and indirect effects through conspiracy mentality.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: What drives us to be (ir)responsible for our health during the COVID-19 pandemic? The role of personality, thinking styles and conspiracy mentality
• The anatomy of Covid-19 related conspiracy beliefs: exploring their nomological network on a nationally representative sample -
  Background: The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic was followed by the widespread proliferation of conspiracy beliefs (CBs) regarding the origin and harmfulness of the virus and a high level of hesitancy and resistance to vaccination. We aimed to test a series of hypotheses on the correlates of CBs and vaccination. Methods: The sample (N=1203), was based on a multistage probabilistic household sampling designed to represent the general population of Serbia. We investigated correlates of CBs and vaccination, including socio-demographic factors, personality (HEXACO + Disintegration trait), somatic health, stressful experiences during pandemics (i.e. Covid-19 related and other threatening events), and psychological distress. The subjects were randomly split into two approximately equal subgroups, enabling cross-validation of the findings. Based on the significant regression predictors found in the exploratory, the SEM model was tested in the confirmatory subsample. Results: The SEM model based on the finding in the first subgroup had excellent Goodness-of-Fit indices. The most important correlates of CBs were Disintegration (proneness to psychotic-like experiences), low Openness, lower education, Extraversion, living in a smaller settlement, and being employed. The correlates of vaccination were older age, CBs, and larger places of living. Evidence on the role of both stressful experiences and psychological distress in CBs and vaccination was not found. Conclusions: The findings of moderately strong and robust (cross-validated) paths, leading from Disintegration to CBs and from CBs to vaccination were the most important ones. Our findings seem to emphasize the role of cognitive/perceptual processes in CBs and vaccination.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: The anatomy of Covid-19 related conspiracy beliefs: exploring their nomological network on a nationally representative sample
• Urinary peptides predict future death -

  Background There is evidence of pre-established vulnerability in individuals that increases the risk of their progression to severe disease or death, though the mechanisms that cause this are still not fully understood. Previous research has demonstrated that a urinary peptide classifier (COV50) predicts disease progression and death from SARS-CoV-2 at an early stage, indicating that the outcome prediction may be partly due to already present vulnerabilities. The aim of this study is to examine the ability of COV50 to predict future non-COVID-19-related mortality, and evaluate whether the pre-established vulnerability can be generic and explained on a molecular level by urinary peptides. Methods Urinary proteomic data from 9193 patients (1719 patients sampled at intensive care unit (ICU) admission and 7474 patients with other diseases (non-ICU)) were extracted from the Human Urinary Proteome Database. The previously developed COV50 classifier, a urinary proteomics biomarker panel consisting of 50 peptides, was applied to all datasets. The association of COV50 scoring with mortality was evaluated. Results In the ICU group, an increase in the COV50 score of one unit resulted in a 20% higher relative risk of death (adj. HR 1.2 [95% CI 1.17-1.24]). The same increase in COV50 in non-ICU patients resulted in a higher relative risk of 61% (adj. HR 1.61 [95% CI 1.47-1.76]), in line with adjusted meta-analytic HR estimate of 1.55. The most notable and significant changes associated with future fatal events were reductions of specific collagen fragments, most of collagen alpha I(I). Conclusion The COV50 classifier is predictive of death in the absence of SARS-CoV-2 infection, suggesting that it detects pre-existing vulnerability. Prediction is based mainly on collagen fragments, possibly reflecting disturbances in the integrity of the extracellular matrix. These data may serve as basis for proteomics guided intervention aiming towards manipulating/improving collagen turnover, thereby reducing the risk of death.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Urinary peptides predict future death
• Real-world Effectiveness of BNT162b2 in Children and Adolescents -

  BACKGROUND The current understanding of the long-term effectiveness of the BNT162b2 vaccine across diverse U.S. pediatric populations is limited. Using data from the PEDSnet collaboration, we assessed the effectiveness of BNT162b2 against various strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. METHODS We emulated three target trials to assess the real-world effectiveness of BNT162b2: adolescents aged 12 to 20 years during the Delta variant period (Target trial 1), children aged 5 to 11 years (Target trial 2) and adolescents aged 12 to 20 years during the Omicron variant period (Target trial 3). The outcomes included documented infection, COVID-19 illness severity, admission to an intensive care unit (ICU), and two cardiac-related outcomes, myocarditis and pericarditis. We implemented a novel trial emulation pipeline accounting for possible misclassification bias in vaccine documentation in EHRs. RESULTS During the Delta period, the BNT162b2 vaccine demonstrated an overall effectiveness 98.4% against documented infection among adolescents, with no significant waning after receipt of the first dose. During the Omicron period, the overall effectiveness in preventing documented infection among children was estimated to be 74.3%. Higher levels of effectiveness of 75.5% and 84.9% were observed against moderate or severe COVID-19 and ICU admission with COVID-19, respectively. In the adolescent population, the overall effectiveness in preventing documented Omicron infection was 85.5%, with effectiveness of 84.8% against moderate or severe COVID-19, and 91.5% against ICU admission with COVID-19. The effectiveness of the BNT162b2 vaccine against the Omicron variant declined after 4 months following the first dose and then stabilized. Across all three cohorts, the risk of cardiac outcomes was approximately 65% to 85% lower in the vaccinated group than that of the unvaccinated group. CONCLUSIONS Our study suggests that BNT162b2 is effective for various COVID-19-related outcomes in children and adolescents during Delta and Omicron periods, with lower cardiac risk. Waning effectiveness indicates potential need for future revaccination.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Real-world Effectiveness of BNT162b2 in Children and Adolescents
• Comparison of the Effectiveness in Nasopharyngeal, Throat, Saliva, and Nasal Swab Sample Media of Detection SARS-Cov-2 using RT-PCR -
  To evaluate effectivity results among Nasopharyngeal, Throat, Saliva, and Nasal Swab Sample Media for Detection of SARS-Cov-2 virus using RT-PCR. SARS-CoV-2 is a coronavirus microorganism found in humans. A known viral infection causes the covid-19 disease to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Covid-19 has confused the public because of the different places where the samples were taken. Sampling was taken from the Nasopharynx, Throat, Saliva, and nasal Swab. This study used mini-review journals from several leading search engine journals such as PubMed, Elsevier, Jama Network, BMJ, Cochrane, Wiley, medRXiv, Lancet, and others, as well as from government websites such as WHO selected between 2020 and 2021 in the English language. Each sampling place has its advantages and disadvantages. Any place that is used as the gold standard is the nasal swab and nasopharyngeal. This paper attempts to compare the efficacy of four sample media to find the best method for detecting the SARS-CoV-2 virus. It is hoped that repeating this paper can make us aware of every method that we can use to detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus and reduce the spread of this virus, which is increasingly widespread.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Comparison of the Effectiveness in Nasopharyngeal, Throat, Saliva, and Nasal Swab Sample Media of Detection SARS-Cov-2 using RT-PCR
• Spatial and Temporal Analysis of SARS-CoV-2 Genome Evolutionary Patterns -
  The spread of SARS-CoV-2 virus accompanied by abundance of sequence data available publicly provides a window for determining the spatio-temporal patterns of viral evolution in response to vaccination. In this study, SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences were collected from seven different countries in the period January 2020 to December 2022. The sequences were classified into three categories, namely: pre-vaccination phase, post-vaccination phase and recent period data. Comparison between the three categories was performed based on parameters like mutation rates, selection pressure (dN/dS ratio) and transition to transversion ratios (Ti/Tv). Similar comparisons were also performed amongst SARS-CoV-2 variants. The comparative analysis showed increase in the percent genomic mutation rates after vaccination and in recent period across different countries from the pre-vaccination phase. The dN/dS ratios showed positive selection that increased after vaccination. The Ti/Tv ratios decreased after vaccination, with C[->]U and G[->]U being the most frequent transition and transversion in all the countries. However, U[->]G was the most frequent transversion in recent period. The Omicron variant had the highest genomic mutation rates while Delta showed the highest dN/dS ratio. Mutation rates were highest in NSP3, S, N and NSP12b before and increased further after vaccination. NSP4 showed the largest change in mutation rates after vaccination. N, ORF8, ORF3a and ORF10 were under highest positive selection before vaccination. They were overtaken by E, S and NSP1 in the after vaccination as well as recent sequences, with the largest change observed in NSP1. Protein-wise dN/dS ratio was also seen to vary across the different variants.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Spatial and Temporal Analysis of SARS-CoV-2 Genome Evolutionary Patterns
• The prevalence of post COVID-19 condition (PCC) and a simple risk scoring tool for PCC screening on Bonaire, Caribbean Netherlands: a retrospective cohort study. -

  Aim: To assess the prevalence of post COVID-19 condition (PCC) on Bonaire and develop a practical risk scoring tool for PCC screening, using easily obtainable characteristics. Methods: A retrospective cohort study of symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 cases were randomly sampled from Bonaire their case-registry and telephone interviewed between 15-November-2021 and 4-December-2021. PCC patients had a PCR-positive SARS-CoV-2 test (1-March-2020 and 1-October-2021) and self-attributed at least one symptom lasting over four weeks to their infection. Multivariate logistic regression was used to derive a risk formula to develop a practical risk scoring tool. Results: Out of 414 cases, 160 (39%) were PCC patients. Fifty-three patients were unrecovered (median illness duration 250 days (IQR 34)). Of recovered patients, 35% experienced symptoms for at least 3 months after disease onset. PCC prevalence was highest among females (38%), 40-59 year-olds (40%), morbidly obese (31%) and hospitalized patients (80%). A PCC risk scoring tool using age, sex, presence of comorbidities, and acute phase hospitalization or GP visit had an area-under-the-curve (AUC) of 0.68 (95%CI 0.63-0.74). Adding smoking, alcohol use, BMI, education level, and number of acute phase symptoms increased the AUC to 0.79 (95%CI 0.74- 0.83). Subgroup analyses of non-hospitalized patients (n=362) resulted in similar AUCs. Conclusion: Thee estimated prevalence of PCC on Bonaire was 39%. Moreover, easily obtainable patient characteristics can be used to build a risk scoring tool for PCC with acceptable discriminatory power. After external validation, this tool could aid the development of healthcare interventions in low resource settings to identify patients at risk for PCC.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: The prevalence of post COVID-19 condition (PCC) and a simple risk scoring tool for PCC screening on Bonaire, Caribbean Netherlands: a retrospective cohort study.
• Association of Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir treatment and COVID-19 neutralizing antibody titers in a longitudinal healthcare worker cohort -

  Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir (NMV/r) is used for the treatment of COVID-19 infection. However, rebound COVID-19 infections can occur after taking NMV/r. We examined neutralizing antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein before and after infection in people who did and did not take NMV/r to determine if NMV/r impedes the humoral immune response.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Association of Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir treatment and COVID-19 neutralizing antibody titers in a longitudinal healthcare worker cohort
• Effectiveness of a COVID-19 contact tracing app in a simulation model with indirect and informal contact tracing -

  During the COVID-19 pandemic, contact tracing was used to identify individuals who had been in contact with a confirmed case so that these contacted individuals could be tested and quarantined to prevent further spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Many countries developed mobile apps to find these contacted individuals faster. We evaluate the epidemiological effectiveness of the Dutch app CoronaMelder, where we measure effectiveness as the reduction of the reproduction number R. To this end, we use a simulation model of SARS-CoV-2 spread and contact tracing, informed by data collected during the study period (December 2020 - March 2021) in the Netherlands. We show that the tracing app caused a clear but small reduction of the reproduction number, and the magnitude of the effect was found to be robust in sensitivity analyses. The app could have been more effective if more people had used it, and if time intervals between symptom onset and reporting of contacts would have been shorter. The model used is novel as it accounts for the clustered nature of social networks and as it accounts for cases informally alerting their contacts directly after symptom onset, without involvement of health authorities or a tracing app.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Effectiveness of a COVID-19 contact tracing app in a simulation model with indirect and informal contact tracing
• High rates of SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnant Ugandan women and association with stunting in infancy -

  Background: SARS-CoV-2 has been well studied in resource-rich areas but many questions remain about effects of infection in African populations, particularly in vulnerable groups such as pregnant women. Methods: We describe SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin (Ig) G and IgM antibody responses and clinical outcomes in mother-infant dyads enrolled in malaria chemoprevention trials in Uganda. Results: From December 2020 to February 2022, among 400 unvaccinated pregnant women, serologic assessments revealed that 128 (32%) were seronegative for anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG and IgM at enrollment and delivery, 80 (20%) were infected either prior to or early in pregnancy, and 192 (48%) were infected or re-infected with SARS-CoV-2 during pregnancy. We observed preferential binding of plasma IgG to Wuhan-Hu-1-like antigens in individuals seroconverting up to early 2021, and to Delta variant antigens in a subset of individuals in mid-2021. Breadth of IgG binding to all variants improved over time. No participants experienced severe respiratory illness during the study. SARS-CoV-2 infection in early pregnancy was associated with lower median length-for-age Z-score at age 3 months compared with no infection or late pregnancy infection (-1.54 versus -0.37 and -0.51, p=0.009). Conclusion: Pregnant Ugandan women experienced high levels of SARS-CoV-2 infection without severe respiratory illness. Variant-specific serology testing demonstrated evidence of antibody affinity maturation at the population level. Early gestational SARS-CoV-2 infection was associated with shorter stature in early infancy.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: High rates of SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnant Ugandan women and association with stunting in infancy

From Clinical Trials

• Probiotic and Colchicine in COVID-19 - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Drug: Colchicine 0.5 MG;   Dietary Supplement: Probiotic Formula;   Other: Standard protocol
  Sponsor:   Ain Shams University
  Completed

• Community-engaged Optimization of COVID-19 Rapid Evaluation And TEsting Experiences - Conditions:   COVID-19;   COVID-19 Pandemic
  Interventions:   Behavioral: COVID-19 walk-up, on-site testing strategy;   Behavioral: Community Health Worker (CHW) leading testing navigation and general preventive care reminders;   Behavioral: No-cost self-testing kit vending machines
  Sponsors:   University of California, San Diego;   San Ysidro Health Center
  Not yet recruiting

• Influence of Manual Diaphragm Release on Pulmonary Functions in Women With COVID-19 - Condition:   COVID-19 Pneumonia
  Interventions:   Other: manual therapy;   Other: breathing exercise and prone position alone
  Sponsor:   Cairo University
  Completed

• ACTIV-6: COVID-19 Study of Repurposed Medications - Arm F (Montelukast) - Condition:   Covid19
  Interventions:   Other: Placebo;   Drug: Montelukast
  Sponsors:   Susanna Naggie, MD;   National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS);   Vanderbilt University Medical Center
  Recruiting

• ACTIV-6: COVID-19 Study of Repurposed Medications - Arm D (Ivermectin 600) - Condition:   Covid19
  Interventions:   Drug: Ivermectin;   Other: Placebo
  Sponsors:   Susanna Naggie, MD;   National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS);   Vanderbilt University Medical Center
  Completed

• ACTIV-6: COVID-19 Study of Repurposed Medications - Arm E (Fluvoxamine 100) - Condition:   Covid19
  Interventions:   Drug: Fluvoxamine;   Other: Placebo
  Sponsors:   Susanna Naggie, MD;   National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS);   Vanderbilt University Medical Center
  Completed

• Study Evaluating SHEN26 Capsule in Patients With Mild to Moderate COVID-19 - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Drug: SHEN26 capsule;   Drug: SHEN26 placebo
  Sponsor:   Shenzhen Kexing Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
  Recruiting

• A Clinical Trial of Recombinant COVID-19 Bivalent (XBB+Prototype) Protein Vaccine (Sf9 Cell) in Booster Vaccination - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Biological: Recombinant COVID-19 Bivalent (XBB+Prototype) Protein Vaccine (Sf9 Cell) (WSK-V101C);   Biological: Recombinant COVID-19 vaccine(Sf9 Cell) (WSK-V101)
  Sponsor:   WestVac Biopharma Co., Ltd.
  Not yet recruiting

• A Phase Ⅲ Clinical Trial of Recombinant COVID-19 Trivalent (XBB+BA.5+Delta) Protein Vaccine (Sf9 Cell) in Booster Vaccination - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Biological: High dose of Recombinant COVID-19 Trivalent (XBB+BA.5+Delta) Protein Vaccine (Sf9 Cell);   Biological: Low dose of Recombinant COVID-19 Trivalent (XBB+BA.5+Delta) Protein Vaccine (Sf9 Cell);   Biological: control group;   Biological: Placebo group
  Sponsor:   WestVac Biopharma Co., Ltd.
  Not yet recruiting

• Impact Of Sensory Re-Education Paradigm On Sensation And Quality Of Life In Patients Post-Covid 19 Polyneuropathy - Condition:   Post-COVID-19 Syndrome
  Interventions:   Other: sensory re-education training;   Other: traditional treatment
  Sponsor:   Cairo University
  Not yet recruiting

• A Study to Investigate the Safety, Immunogenicity of a Bivalent mRNA Vaccine RQ3025 as a Booster Dose in Healthy Adults - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Biological: RQ3013;   Biological: RQ3025
  Sponsors:   Affiliated Hospital of Yunnan University;   Yunnan University;   Kunming Medical University
  Recruiting

• A Study to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma (CCP) Transfusion to Prevent COVID-19 in Adult Recipients Following Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation - Conditions:   COVID-19;   Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation
  Intervention:   Biological: COVID Convalescent Plasma
  Sponsor:   Institute of Hematology & Blood Diseases Hospital
  Recruiting

• Cupping Therapy on Immune System in Post Covid -19 - Condition:   Covid-19 Patients
  Interventions:   Combination Product: Cupping therapy with convential medical treatment;   Drug: Convential medical treatment
  Sponsor:   Cairo University
  Completed

• To Evaluate the Immunogenicity and Safety of Sequential Booster Immunization of Recombinant Novel Coronavirus Vaccine (CHO Cells) for SARS-CoV-2 - Condition:   COVID-19
  Intervention:   Biological: Recombinant Novel Coronavirus vaccine (CHO Cells)
  Sponsor:   Anhui Zhifei Longcom Biologic Pharmacy Co., Ltd.
  Completed

• Immunogenicity and Safety Study of SARS-CoV-2 DNA Vaccine (ICCOV) - Condition:   COVID-19
  Intervention:   Biological: SARS-CoV-2 DNA Vaccine (ICCOV)
  Sponsors:   Immuno Cure 3 Limited;   The University of Hong Kong
  Recruiting

From PubMed

• Accelerating drug target inhibitor discovery with a deep generative foundation model - Inhibitor discovery for emerging drug-target proteins is challenging, especially when target structure or active molecules are unknown. Here, we experimentally validate the broad utility of a deep generative framework trained at-scale on protein sequences, small molecules, and their mutual interactions-unbiased toward any specific target. We performed a protein sequence-conditioned sampling on the generative foundation model to design small-molecule inhibitors for two dissimilar targets: the…

• ARF6 is a host factor for SARS-CoV-2 infection in vitro - Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a newly emerged beta-coronavirus that enter cells via two routes, direct fusion at the plasma membrane or endocytosis followed by fusion with the late endosome/lysosome. While the viral receptor, ACE2, multiple entry factors and the mechanism of fusion of the virus at the plasma membrane have been investigated extensively, viral entry via the endocytic pathway is less understood. By using a human hepatocarcinoma cell line, Huh-7,…

• Irreversible Inactivation of SARS-CoV-2 by Lectin Engagement with Two Glycan Clusters on the Spike Protein - Host cell infection by SARS-CoV-2, similar to that by HIV-1, is driven by a conformationally metastable and highly glycosylated surface entry protein complex, and infection by these viruses has been shown to be inhibited by the mannose-specific lectins cyanovirin-N (CV-N) and griffithsin (GRFT). We discovered in this study that CV-N not only inhibits SARS-CoV-2 infection but also leads to irreversibly inactivated pseudovirus particles. The irreversibility effect was revealed by the observation…

• Viral evasion of the interferon response at a glance - Re-emerging and new viral pathogens have caused significant morbidity and mortality around the world, as evidenced by the recent monkeypox, Ebola and Zika virus outbreaks and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Successful viral infection relies on tactical viral strategies to derail or antagonize host innate immune defenses, in particular the production of type I interferons (IFNs) by infected cells. Viruses can thwart intracellular sensing systems that elicit IFN gene expression (that is, RIG-I-like…

• Preventing Occludin Tight-Junction Disruption via Inhibition of microRNA-193b-5p Attenuates Viral Load and Influenza-induced Lung Injury - Virus-induced lung injury is associated with loss of pulmonary epithelial-endothelial tight junction integrity. While the alveolar-capillary membrane may be an indirect target of injury; viruses may interact directly and/or indirectly with miRs to augment their replication potential and evade the host antiviral defense system. Here we expose how the influenza virus (H1N1) capitalizes on host-derived interferon-induced, microRNA (miR)-193b-5p to target occludin and compromise antiviral defenses….

• The impact of COVID-19 on the intention of third-child in China: an empirical analysis based on survey data - BACKGROUND: Against the grim background of declining intention to have children, the ravages of COVID-19 have pushed China and the world into a more complex social environment. To adapt to the new situation, the Chinese government implemented the three-child policy in 2021.

• Activity of nsp14 Exonuclease from SARS-CoV-2 towards RNAs with Modified 3’-Termini - The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the urgent need for new treatments for coronavirus infections. Nucleoside analogs were successfully used to inhibit replication of some viruses through the incorporation into the growing DNA or RNA chain. However, the replicative machinery of coronaviruses contains nsp14, a non-structural protein with a 3’→5’-exonuclease activity that removes misincorporated and modified nucleotides from the 3’ end of the growing RNA chain. Here, we studied the efficiency of…

• Effective inhibition of HCoV-OC43 and SARS-CoV-2 by phytochemicals in vitro and in vivo - Several coronaviruses, including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and human coronavirus OC43 (HCoV-OC43) can cause respiratory infections in humans. To address the need for reliable anti-coronavirus therapeutics, we screened 16 active phytochemicals selected from medicinal plants used in traditional applications for respiratory-related illnesses. An initial screen was completed using HCoV-OC43. The phytochemicals lycorine (LYC), capsaicin (CAP), rottlerin (RTL),…

• Generation of host-directed and virus-specific antivirals using targeted protein degradation promoted by small molecules and viral RNA mimics - Targeted protein degradation (TPD), as exemplified by proteolysis-targeting chimera (PROTAC), is an emerging drug discovery platform. PROTAC molecules, which typically contain a target protein ligand linked to an E3 ligase ligand, recruit a target protein to the E3 ligase to induce its ubiquitination and degradation. Here, we applied PROTAC approaches to develop broad-spectrum antivirals targeting key host factors for many viruses and virus-specific antivirals targeting unique viral proteins….

• A broad-spectrum macrocyclic peptide inhibitor of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein - The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has had great societal and health consequences. Despite the availability of vaccines, infection rates remain high due to immune evasive Omicron sublineages. Broad-spectrum antivirals are needed to safeguard against emerging variants and future pandemics. We used messenger RNA (mRNA) display under a reprogrammed genetic code to find a spike-targeting macrocyclic peptide that inhibits SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) Wuhan strain infection…

• Specific nasopharyngeal Corynebacterium strains serve as gatekeepers against SARS-CoV-2 infection - The SARS-CoV-2 virus is still causing a worldwide problem. The virus settles primarily on the nasal mucosa, and the infection and its course depend on individual susceptibility. Our aim was to investigate the nasopharynx composition’s role in the individual susceptibility. During the first phase of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, nasopharyngeal microbiome samples of close contact unvaccinated patients were investigated by 16S rRNA analysis and by culturing. The whole genome of cultured Corynebacteria was…

• Research progress on pharmacological effects and mechanisms of cepharanthine and its derivatives - Cepharanthine (CEP) is a bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloid compound found in plants of the Stephania genus, which has biological functions such as regulating autophagy, inhibiting inflammation, oxidative stress, and apoptosis. It is often used for the treatment of inflammatory diseases, viral infections, cancer, and immune disorders and has great clinical translational value. However, there is no detailed research on its specific mechanism and dosage and administration methods, especially clinical…

• A mutation in the coronavirus nsp13-helicase impairs enzymatic activity and confers partial remdesivir resistance - Coronaviruses (CoVs) encode nonstructural proteins 1-16 (nsps 1-16) which form replicase complexes that mediate viral RNA synthesis. Remdesivir (RDV) is an adenosine nucleoside analog antiviral that inhibits CoV RNA synthesis. RDV resistance mutations have been reported only in the nonstructural protein 12 RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (nsp12-RdRp). We here show that a substitution mutation in the nsp13-helicase (nsp13-HEL A335V) of the betacoronavirus murine hepatitis virus (MHV) that was…

• Efficacy and safety of MAS825 (anti-IL-1ꞵ/IL-18) in COVID-19 patients with pneumonia and impaired respiratory function - MAS825, a bispecific IL-1⍰/IL-18 monoclonal antibody, could improve clinical outcomes in COVID19 pneumonia by reducing inflammasome-mediated inflammation. Hospitalized nonventilated patients with COVID-19 pneumonia (n=138) were randomized (1:1) to receive MAS825 (10 mg/kg single i.v.) or placebo in addition to standard of care (SoC). The primary endpoint was the composite Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score on Day 15 or on day of discharge (whichever was earlier)…

• Targeting the cGAS-STING pathway as an inflammatory crossroad in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) - Context and objective: The emerging pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), has imposed significant mortality and morbidity on the world. An appropriate immune response is necessary to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 spread throughout the body.Results: During the early stages of infection, the pathway of stimulators of interferon genes (STING), known as the cGAS-STING pathway, has a significant role in the induction of the…

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