Covid-19 Sentry

Contents

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

From Preprints

• Promoting Urban Farming for Creating Sustainable Cities in Nepal -
  This paper responds to the research question, “can urban farming in Nepal help create sustainable cities?” Especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, urban residents have begun to realize that food transported from long distances is not always reliable. Urban farming can help produce fresh food locally and help urban residents become self-reliant by engaging in healthy eating habits and practicing sustainable agricultural techniques in food-desert areas, while creating a positive impact on the environment through regenerative agricultural methods. In doing so, urban farms can help the growers save on food expenditures and even earn some additional income, while also improving air quality and minimizing the effects of urban heat islands. This practice also helps reduce greenhouse gases through plant carbon use efficiency (CUE), as vegetation carbon dynamics (VCD) can be adjusted while supporting the circular economy. As urban lands command higher prices than agricultural land, urban farming usually happens on residential yards, roofs, balconies, community gardens, and dedicated areas in public parks. Rainwater harvesting and redirecting can help irrigate urban farms, which can be part of rain gardens. The national census of 2021 identified that 66% of Nepal’s population lives in urban areas. However, the World Bank (2018) showed that only 21 of Nepal’s population was projected to live in urban areas in 2021. It is not debatable that the urbanization process in Nepal is on the rise. Thus, urban agriculture can play an important role in supplementing residents’ food needs. Many cities in Nepal have already successfully adapted to urban farming wherein residents grow food on their building sites, balconies, and rooftop, often growing plants in pots, vases, and other types of containers. The UN-Habitat, with the support of the European Union and local agencies, published a rooftop farming training manual (2014), showing the feasibility of urban farming in Nepal. This paper discusses how public-private partnership (PPP) can promote urban agriculture and make the process more effective and attractive to urban-farming households. It also analyzes how a PPP approach also facilitates the use of better technology, advisory support, and use of research extension activities. This paper draws on a literature review, uses remote-sensing imagery data and data from National Census Nepal 2021, and the authors’ professional experiences related to best practices in the areas to analyze the benefits and challenges related to urban farming both in Nepal and Arizona, USA. The paper provides recommendations for Nepali cities to maximize the benefit provided by urban farming.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Promoting Urban Farming for Creating Sustainable Cities in Nepal
• Minority Communities United Against COVID-19: It Takes a Village -
  COVID-19 has illuminated how racial inequities across multiple institutions in the United States have converged and resulted in profound and lasting negative impacts on people and communities of color. Disparities in the treatment of Native (Indigenous) Americans, African (Black) Americans, and Latinx individuals in the United States concomitant with health disparities more prevalent in these populations have resulted in COVID-19 death rates that have been consistently higher than that of white counterparts and at rates that are significantly higher than their percentage of the population. While reports have focused have necessarily focused on the despair in these communities and the disparities in case and death rates, we report on the historical resilience of these communities and how this has been used to mobilize interventions in these communities that have served to mitigate the negative impact of COVID-19.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Minority Communities United Against COVID-19: It Takes a Village
• Longitudinal analysis of memory T follicular helper cells and antibody response following CoronaVac vaccination -
  The inactivated vaccine CoronaVac is one of the most widely used COVID-19 vaccines globally. However, the longitudinal evolution of the immune response induced by CoronaVac remains elusive compared to other vaccine platforms. Here, we recruited 88 healthy individuals that received 3 doses of CoronaVac vaccine. We longitudinally evaluated their polyclonal and antigen-specific CD4+ T cells and neutralizing antibody response after receiving each dose of vaccine for over 300 days. Both the 2nd and 3rd dose of vaccination induced robust spike-specific neutralizing antibodies, with a 3rd vaccine further increased the overall magnitude of antibody response, and neutralization against Omicron sub-lineages B.1.1.529, BA.2, BA.4/BA.5 and BA.2.75.2. Spike-specific CD4+ T cell and circulating T follicular helper (cTFH) cells were markedly increased by the 2nd and 3rd dose of CoronaVac vaccine, accompanied with altered composition of functional cTFH cell subsets with distinct effector and memory potential. Additionally, cTFH cells are positively correlated with neutralizing antibody titers. Our results suggest that CoronaVac vaccine-induced spike-specific T cells are capable of supporting humoral immunity for long-term immune protection.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Longitudinal analysis of memory T follicular helper cells and antibody response following CoronaVac vaccination
• SARS-CoV-2 infection leads to Tau pathological signature in neurons -
  Background: The coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) has represented an issue for global health since its outbreak in March 2020. It is now evident that the SARS-CoV-2 infection results in a wide range of long-term neurological symptoms and is worryingly associated with the aggravation of Alzheimer's disease. Little is known about the molecular basis of these manifestations. Methods: Several SARS-CoV-2 strain variants were used to infect SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells and K18-hACE C57BL/6J mice. The Tau phosphorylation profile and aggregation propensity upon infection were investigated using immunoblot and immunofluorescence on cellular extracts, subcellular fractions, and brain tissue. The viral proteins Spike, Nucleocapsid, and Membrane were overexpressed in SH-SY5Y cells and the direct effect on Tau phosphorylation was checked using immunoblot experiments. Results: Upon infection, Tau is phosphorylated at several pathological epitopes associated with Alzheimer's disease and other tauopathies. Moreover, this event increases Tau's propensity to form insoluble aggregates and alters its subcellular localization. Conclusions: Our data support the evidence that SARS-CoV-2 infection in the Central Nervous System triggers downstream effects altering Tau function, eventually leading to the impairment of neuronal function.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: SARS-CoV-2 infection leads to Tau pathological signature in neurons
• Tracing the origin of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron-like Spike sequences detected in wastewater -

  Background: The origin of divergent SARS-CoV-2 spike sequences found in wastewater, but not in clinical surveillance, remains unclear. These cryptic wastewater sequences have harbored many of the same mutations that later emerged in Omicron lineages. We first detected a cryptic lineage in municipal wastewater in Wisconsin in January 2022. Named the Wisconsin Lineage, we sought to determine the geographic origin of this virus and characterize its persistence and evolution over time. Methods: We systematically sampled maintenance holes to trace the origin of the Wisconsin Lineage. We sequenced spike RBD domains, and where possible, whole viral genomes, to characterize the evolution of this lineage over the 13 consecutive months that it was detectable. Findings: The persistence of the Wisconsin Lineage signal allowed us to trace it from a central wastewater plant to a single facility, with a high concentration of viral RNA. The viral sequences contained a combination of fixed nucleotide substitutions characteristic of Pango lineage B.1.234, which circulated in Wisconsin at low levels from October 2020 to February 2021, while mutations in the spike gene resembled those subsequently found in Omicron variants. Interpretation: We propose that prolonged detection of the Wisconsin Lineage in wastewater represents persistent shedding of SARS-CoV-2 from an infected individual, with ongoing within-host viral evolution leading to an ancestral B.1.234 virus accumulating Omicron-like mutations. Funding: The Rockefeller Foundation, Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), and the Center for Research on Influenza Pathogenesis and Transmission.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Tracing the origin of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron-like Spike sequences detected in wastewater
• Detection of SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.529 (Omicron) variant by SYBR Green‑based RT‑qPCR -

  Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is unceasingly spreading across the globe, and recently a highly transmissible Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant (B.1.1.529) has been discovered in South Africa and Botswana. Rapid identification of this variant is essential for pandemic assessment and containment. However, variant identification is mainly being performed using expensive and time-consuming genomic sequencing. Methods and results: In this study we propose an alternative RT-qPCR approach for the detection of the Omicron BA.1 variant using a low-cost and rapid SYBR Green method. We have designed specific primers to confirm the deletion mutations in the spike (S ∆143-145) and the nucleocapsid (N ∆31-33) which are characteristics of this variant. For the evaluation, we used 120 clinical samples from patients with PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infections, and displaying an S-gene target failure (SGTF) when using TaqPath COVID-19 kit (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, USA) that included the ORF1ab, S, and N gene targets. Our results showed that all the 120 samples harbored S ∆143-145 and N ∆31-33, which was further confirmed by Whole genome sequencing (WGS) of 4 samples thereby validating our SYBR Green-based protocol. Conclusions: This protocol can be easily implemented to rapidly confirm the diagnosis of the Omicron BA.1 variant in COVID-19 patients and prevent its spread among populations, especially in countries with high prevalence of SGTF profile.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Detection of SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.529 (Omicron) variant by SYBR Green‑based RT‑qPCR
• Examining outpatients’ hand hygiene behaviour and its relation to other infection prevention measures. -
  Background: The increasing demand for outpatient care is associated with a higher risk of infection transmission in these settings. However, there is limited research on infection prevention and control practices in ambulatory clinics, and none focuses on patients. Aim: Consequently, this study aims to examine outpatients’ hand hygiene behaviours, their determinants, and their associations with other infection prevention measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We observed the hand hygiene behaviour of patients in one outpatient clinic and surveyed outpatients in five clinics about their hand hygiene practice in outpatient facilities. A questionnaire based on the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) was used to examine predictors of the behaviour. Moreover, patients indicated their compliance with COVID-19 infection prevention measures, vaccination status, disease risk perception, and vaccine hesitancy. Findings: Observed hand hygiene rates among 618 patients were low (12.8%), while 67.3% of the 300 surveyed patients indicated sanitising their hands upon entering the clinic. The TDF domains memory, attention, and decision processes, and emotions significantly predicted both current (today’s) and general hand hygiene behaviour in outpatient clinics. Hand hygiene behaviour and compliance with COVID-19 infection prevention showed a positive association; however, no significant connection was found with patients’ vaccination status, suggesting different behavioural motivators. Conclusion: Hand hygiene among outpatients should be improved through interventions focusing on helping patients remember to clean their hands. More research on infection prevention in outpatient facilities is needed to ensure patient safety.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Examining outpatients’ hand hygiene behaviour and its relation to other infection prevention measures.
• Single-cycle SARS-CoV-2 vaccine elicits high protection and sterilizing immunity in hamsters -
  Vaccines have been central in ending the COVID-19 pandemic, but newly emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants increasingly escape first-generation vaccine protection. To fill this gap, live particle-based vaccines mimicking natural infection aim at protecting against a broader spectrum of virus variants. We designed "single-cycle SARS-CoV-2 viruses" (SCVs) that lack essential viral genes, possess superior immune-modulatory features and provide an excellent safety profile in the Syrian hamster model. Full protection of all intranasally vaccinated animals was achieved against an autologous challenge with SARS-CoV-2 virus using an Envelope-gene-deleted vaccine candidate. By deleting key immune-downregulating genes, sterilizing immunity was achieved with an advanced candidate without virus spread to contact animals. Hence, SCVs have the potential to induce a broad and durable protection against COVID-19 superior to a natural infection.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Single-cycle SARS-CoV-2 vaccine elicits high protection and sterilizing immunity in hamsters
• Discovery of Novel Allosteric Sites of SARS-CoV-2 Papain-Like Protease (PLpro) -
  Papain-like protease (PLpro) is a viral protease found in some coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID -19, and is a target for antiviral drug development. Inhibition of PLpro activity could potentially limit viral replication, making it an attractive target for antiviral drug development. This work describes the discovery of novel allosteric residues of SARS-CoV-2 PLpro that can be targeted with antiviral drugs. First, a computational analysis was performed to identify potential druggable pockets on the surface of SARS-CoV-2 PLpro. The computational analysis predicted three druggable pockets that span the surface of PLpro and are located at the interface of its four domains. Pocket 1 is located at the interface between the Ub1 and thumb domains, pocket 2 is at the interface between the thumb, finger, and palm domains, and pocket 3 is at the interface between the finger and palm domains. Targeted alanine mutagenesis of selected residues with important structural interactions revealed that 12 of 23 allosteric residues (D12, Y71, Y83, Q122, Q133, R140, T277, S278, S212, Y213, K254, and Y305) are essential for maintaining a catalytically active and thermodynamically stable PLpro. This work provides experimental confirmation of essential contacts in the allosteric sites of PLpro that could be targeted with non-competitive inhibitors as novel therapeutics against COVID -19.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Discovery of Novel Allosteric Sites of SARS-CoV-2 Papain-Like Protease (PLpro)
• Defining distinct RNA-protein interactomes of SARS-CoV-2 genomic and subgenomic RNAs -
  Host RNA binding proteins recognize viral RNA and play key roles in virus replication and antiviral defense mechanisms. SARS-CoV-2 generates a series of tiered subgenomic RNAs (sgRNAs), each encoding distinct viral protein(s) that regulate different aspects of viral replication. Here, for the first time, we demonstrate the successful isolation of SARS-CoV-2 genomic RNA and three distinct sgRNAs (N, S, and ORF8) from a single population of infected cells and characterize their protein interactomes. Over 500 protein interactors (including 260 previously unknown) were identified as associated with one or more target RNA at either of two time points. These included protein interactors unique to a single RNA pool and others present in multiple pools, highlighting our ability to discriminate between distinct viral RNA interactomes despite high sequence similarity. The interactomes indicated viral associations with cell response pathways including regulation of cytoplasmic ribonucleoprotein granules and posttranscriptional gene silencing. We validated the significance of five protein interactors predicted to exhibit antiviral activity (APOBEC3F, TRIM71, PPP1CC, LIN28B, and MSI2) using siRNA knockdowns, with each knockdown yielding increases in viral production. This study describes new technology for studying SARS-CoV-2 and reveals a wealth of new viral RNA-associated host factors of potential functional significance to infection.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Defining distinct RNA-protein interactomes of SARS-CoV-2 genomic and subgenomic RNAs
• Disparities in COVID-19-related trauma and internalizing symptoms across sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, and their intersection during the pandemic -
  Sexual minority individuals face elevated risk for internalizing problems due to minority stress, and internalizing problems may have been exacerbated with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study examined sexual orientation- and race/ethnicity-related mental health disparities during the first four months of COVID-19 stay-at-home orders. We investigated disparities in COVID-19-related trauma (CRT) and internalizing symptoms (depression, anxiety) in a university community sample via surveys in March-April (Wave 1) and May-June 2020 (Wave 2) cross-sectionally using t-tests and longitudinally using residualized change score regressions. The analytic sample (N = 646; M age = 25.70, SD age = 10.16 at Wave 1) comprised 350 (54.2%) non-Hispanic White and 296 (45.8%) racial/ethnic minority participants; and 514 (79.6%) heterosexual and 132 (20.4%) sexual minority participants. Except for Wave 1 CRT, sexual minority individuals reported greater symptomatology than heterosexual individuals across all outcomes at each wave and racial/ethnic minority individuals reported no differences in outcomes compared to non-Hispanic White individuals. Longitudinally, sexual minority individuals reported less recovery from CRT compared to heterosexual individuals. No similar longitudinal disparities were identified across race/ethnicity. These findings build upon a growing body of literature of mental health disparities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results highlight the importance of examining CRT to understand the effects of the pandemic on minoritized populations, particularly sexual minority individuals. Further work is needed to elucidate the potential exacerbating effects of minority stress on these disparities.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Disparities in COVID-19-related trauma and internalizing symptoms across sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, and their intersection during the pandemic
• Quantifying and Realizing the Benefits of Targeting for Pandemic Response -

  To respond to pandemics such as COVID-19, policy makers have relied on interventions that target specific population groups or activities. Because targeting is operationally challenging and contentious, rigorously quantifying its benefits and designing practically implementable policies that achieve some of these benefits is critical for effective and equitable pandemic control. We propose a flexible framework that leverages publicly available data and a novel optimization algorithm based on model predictive control and trust region methods to compute optimized interventions that can target two dimensions of heterogeneity: age groups and the specific activities that individuals normally engage in. We showcase a complete implementation focused on the Ile-de-France region of France and use this case study to quantify the benefits of dual targeting and to propose practically implementable policies. We find that dual targeting can lead to Pareto improvements, reducing the number of deaths and the economic losses. Additionally, dual targeting allows maintaining higher activity levels for most age groups and, importantly, for those groups that are most confined, thus leading to confinements that are arguably more equitable. We then fit decision trees to explain the decisions and gains of dual-targeted policies and find that they prioritize confinements intuitively, by allowing increased activity levels for group-activity pairs with high marginal economic value prorated by social contacts, which generates important complementarities. Because dual targeting can face significant implementation challenges, we introduce two practical proposals inspired by real-world interventions - based on curfews and recommendations - that achieve a significant portion of the benefits without explicitly discriminating based on age.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Quantifying and Realizing the Benefits of Targeting for Pandemic Response
• Effectiveness of Sotrovimab and Molnupiravir in community settings in England across the Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 sublineages: emulated target trials using the OpenSAFELY platform -

  Background The effectiveness of COVID-19 monoclonal antibody and antiviral therapies against severe COVID-19 outcomes is unclear. Initial benefit was shown in unvaccinated patients and before the Omicron variant emerged. We used the OpenSAFELY platform to emulate target trials to estimate the effectiveness of sotrovimab or molnupiravir, versus no treatment. Methods With the approval of NHS England, we derived population-based cohorts of non-hospitalised high-risk individuals in England testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 during periods of dominance of the BA.1 (16/12/2021-10/02/2022) and BA.2 (11/02/2022-21/05/2022) Omicron sublineages. We used the clone-censor-weight approach to estimate the effect of treatment with sotrovimab or molnupiravir initiated within 5 days after positive test versus no treatment. Hazard ratios (HR) for COVID-19 hospitalisation or death within 28 days were estimated using weighted Cox models. Results Of the 35,856 [BA.1 period] and 39,192 [BA.2 period] patients, 1,830 [BA.1] and 1,242 [BA.2] were treated with molnupiravir and 2,244 [BA.1] and 4,164 [BA.2] with sotrovimab. The estimated HRs for molnupiravir versus untreated were 1.00 (95%CI: 0.81;1.22) [BA.1] and 1.22 (0.96;1.56) [BA.2]; corresponding HRs for sotrovimab versus untreated were 0.76 (0.66;0.89) [BA.1] and 0.92 (0.79;1.06) [BA.2]. Interpretation Compared with no treatment, sotrovimab was associated with reduced risk of adverse outcomes after COVID-19 in the BA.1 period, but there was weaker evidence of benefit in the BA2 period. Molnupiravir was not associated with reduced risk in either period.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Effectiveness of Sotrovimab and Molnupiravir in community settings in England across the Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 sublineages: emulated target trials using the OpenSAFELY platform
• Predictors of Mortality in Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19: A One-Year Case-Control Study -

  Objective: To determine the associated factors with mortality, in addition to age and sex, in a high-complexity hospital in Bogota, Colombia, during the first year of the pandemic. Design: A case-control study. Setting: High-complexity center above 2,640 meters above sea level (masl) in Colombia. Methods: A case-control study was conducted on 564 patients admitted to the hospital with confirmed COVID-19. Deceased patients (n: 282) and a control group (n: 282), matched by age, sex, and month of admission, were included. Clinical and paraclinical variables were retrospectively obtained by systematic revision of clinical records. Multiple imputations by chained equation (MICE) were implemented to account for missing variables. Classification and regression trees (CART) were estimated to evaluate the interaction of associated factors on admission and their role in predicting mortality during hospitalization. Results: Most of the patients included were males in the seventh decade of life. Most of the admissions occurred between July and August 2021. Surprisingly, recovered patients reported heterogeneous symptomatology, whereas deceased patients were most likely to present respiratory distress, dyspnea, and seizures on admission. In addition, the latter group exhibited a higher burden of comorbidities and alterations in laboratory parameters. After the imputation of datasets, CART analysis estimated 14 clinical profiles based on respiratory distress, LDH, dyspnea, hemoglobin, D-dimer, ferritin, blood urea nitrogen, C-reactive protein, PaO2/FiO2, dysgeusia, total bilirubin, platelets, and gastroesophageal reflux disease. The accuracy model for prediction was 85.6% (P < 0.0001). Conclusion: Multivariate analysis yielded a reliable model to predict mortality in COVID-19. This analysis revealed new interactions between clinical and paraclinical features in addition to age and sex. Furthermore, this predictive model could offer new clues for the personalized management of this condition in clinical settings. Keywords: SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, Mortality, Predictors, Risk Factors

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Predictors of Mortality in Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19: A One-Year Case-Control Study
• Immunoglobulin A as a key immunological molecular signature of post-COVID-19 conditions -

  COVID-19 has infected humans worldwide, causing millions of deaths or prolonged symptoms in survivors. The transient or persistent symptoms after SARS-CoV-2 infection have been defined as post-COVID-19 conditions (PCC). We conducted a study of 151 Brazilian PCC patients to analyze symptoms and immunoglobulin profiles, taking into account gender, vaccination, hospitalization and age. Fatigue and myalgia were the most common symptoms and lack of vaccination, hospitalization, and neuropsychiatric and metabolic comorbidities were relevant for the development of PCC. Analysis of serological immunoglobulins showed that IgA was higher in PCC patients, especially in the adult and elderly groups. Also, non-hospitalized and hospitalized PCC patients produced high and similar levels of IgA. Our results indicated that the detection of IgA antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 during the course of the disease could be associated with the development of PCC and may be an immunological signature to predict prolonged symptoms in COVID-19 patients.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Immunoglobulin A as a key immunological molecular signature of post-COVID-19 conditions

From Clinical Trials

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

• Conducting Clinical Trials of the Medicine “Rutan Tablets 0.1g” No. 10 in the Complex Therapy of COVID-19 - Condition:   Patients With COVID-19
  Interventions:   Drug: The drug “Rutan 0.1”.;   Other: Basic treatment
  Sponsor:   Research Institute of Virology, Ministry of Health of the Republic of Uzbekistan
  Completed

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

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

• Studying the Efficiency of the Natural Preparation Rutan in Children in the Treatment of COVID-19, ARVI - Condition:   COVID-19 Respiratory Infection
  Interventions:   Drug: Rutan 25 mg;   Other: Control group
  Sponsor:   Research Institute of Virology, Ministry of Health of the Republic of Uzbekistan
  Completed

• A Pilot Study Evaluating the Efficacy of the Vielight Neuro RX Gamma in the Treatment of Post COVID-19 Cognitive Impairment - Condition:   Post COVID-19 Cognitive Impairment
  Interventions:   Device: Vielight Neuro RX Gamma active device;   Device: Vielight Neuro RX Gamma sham device
  Sponsor:   Vielight Inc.
  Not yet recruiting

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

• Use of a Hypochlorous Acid Spray Solution in the Treatment of COVID-19 Patients : COVICONTROL Study . - Condition:   SARS CoV 2 Infection
  Interventions:   Other: Spray with Hypochlorous Acid Group;   Other: Spray with Placebo Group
  Sponsor:   University of Monastir
  Recruiting

• Role of Vit-D Supplementation on BioNTech, Pfizer Vaccine Side Effect and Immunoglobulin G Response - Condition:   COVID-19 Respiratory Infection
  Intervention:   Combination Product: Vitamin-D
  Sponsor:   Sulaimany Polytechnic university
  Completed

• REVERSE-Long COVID-19 With Baricitinib Pilot Study - Condition:   Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome
  Intervention:   Drug: Baricitinib 4 MG
  Sponsors:   Vanderbilt University Medical Center;   Emory University;   University of California, San Francisco;   University of Minnesota;   Vanderbilt University;   Yale University
  Not yet recruiting

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

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

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

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

• RADx-UP- Impact of Community Health Worker Deployment - Conditions:   Diabetes;   COVID-19;   Community Health Workers;   Health Behavior;   Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
  Intervention:   Behavioral: Impact of Community Health Worker Home Deployment on COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence and Uptake
  Sponsor:   Morehouse School of Medicine
  Active, not recruiting

From PubMed

• In silico design of miniprotein to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 variant Omicron spike protein - Omicron is a novel variant of SARS-CoV-2 that is currently spreading globally as the dominant strain. The virus first enters the host cell through the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein by interacting with the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). Thus, the RBD protein is an ideal target for the design of drugs against the Omicron variant. Here, we designed several miniprotein inhibitors in silico to combat the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant using single- and double-point mutation…

• Conformal Hydrogel-Skin Coating on a Microfluidic Channel through Microstamping Transfer of the Masking Layer - Poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) is used in microfluidics owing to its biocompatibility and simple fabrication. However, its intrinsic hydrophobicity and biofouling inhibit its microfluidic applications. Conformal hydrogel-skin coating for PDMS microchannels, involving the microstamping transfer of the masking layer, is reported herein. A selective uniform hydrogel layer with a thickness of ∼1 μm was coated in diverse PDMS microchannels with a resolution of ∼3 μm, maintaining its structure and…

• The C-terminal 32-mer fragment of hemoglobin alpha is an amyloidogenic peptide with antimicrobial properties - Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are major components of the innate immune defense. Accumulating evidence suggests that the antibacterial activity of many AMPs is dependent on the formation of amyloid-like fibrils. To identify novel fibril forming AMPs, we generated a spleen-derived peptide library and screened it for the presence of amyloidogenic peptides. This approach led to the identification of a C-terminal 32-mer fragment of alpha-hemoglobin, termed HBA(111-142). The non-fibrillar peptide has…

• Challenges and Progress in Designing Broad-Spectrum Vaccines Against Rapidly Mutating Viruses - Viruses evolve to evade prior immunity, causing significant disease burden. Vaccine effectiveness deteriorates as pathogens mutate, requiring redesign. This is a problem that has grown worse due to population increase, global travel, and farming practices. Thus, there is significant interest in developing broad-spectrum vaccines that mitigate disease severity and ideally inhibit disease transmission without requiring frequent updates. Even in cases where vaccines against rapidly mutating…

• Flavonoid as possible therapeutic targets against COVID-19: a scoping review of in silico studies - CONCLUSION: These studies allow us to provide a basis for in vitro and in vivo assays to assist in developing drugs for the treatment and prevention of COVID-19.

• Discovery of dual S-RBD/NRP1-targeting peptides: structure-based virtual screening, synthesis, biological evaluation, and molecular dynamics simulation studies - Both receptor-binding domain in spike protein (S-RBD) of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and human neuropilin-1 (NRP1) are important in the virus entry, and their concomitant inhibition may become a potential strategy against the SARS-CoV-2 infection. Herein, five novel dual S-RBD/NRP1-targeting peptides with nanomolar binding affinities were identified by structure-based virtual screening. Particularly, RN-4 was found to be the most promising peptide targeting S-RBD…

• Compounds from myrtle flowers as antibacterial agents and SARS-CoV-2 inhibitors: In-vitro and molecular docking studies - Plants and their related phytochemicals play a key role in the treatment of bacterial and viral infections, which inspire scientists to design and develop more efficient drugs starting from the phytochemical active scaffold. This work aims to characterize the chemical compounds of Myrtus communis essential oil (EO) from Algeria and to evaluate its in vitro antibacterial effect, as well as the in silico anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity. The chemical profile of hydrodistilled EO from myrtle flowers was…

• Declined Humoral Immunity of Kidney Transplant Recipients to SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines - CONCLUSION: KTRs’ humoral response after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination is dramatically inhibited and wanes. Antibody levels show a significant decline over time in KTRs with hypertension; receiving triple immunosuppressive therapy or steroid-based or antimetabolite-based regimens; receiving mixed mRNA and viral vector vaccines; and with a transplant of >10 years.

• Interactive network pharmacology and electrochemical analysis reveals electron transport-mediating characteristics of Chinese medicine formula Jing Guan Fang - BACKGROUND: Jing Guan Fang (JGF) is an anti-COVID-19 Chinese Medicine decoction comprised of five medicinal herbs to possess anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties for treatment. This study aims to electrochemically decipher the anti-coronavirus activity of JGF and show that microbial fuel cells may serve as a platform for screening efficacious herbal medicines and providing scientific bases for the mechanism of action (MOA) of TCMs.

• Physicochemical characterization of reusable facemasks and theoretical adhesion by a challenged bacterium - CONCLUSION: Such information is valuable to understand attachment of biological particles and to contribute in the inhibition of this attachment.

• Screening of SARS-CoV-2 antivirals through a cell-based RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) reporter assay - COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019) caused by SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoronaVirus-2) continues to pose an international public health threat and thus far, has resulted in greater than 6.4 million deaths worldwide. Vaccines are critical tools to limit COVID-19 spread, but antiviral drug development is an ongoing global priority due to fast-spreading COVID-19 variants that may elude vaccine efficacies. The RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) of SARS-CoV-2 is an essential…

• SARS-CoV-2 Omicron sub-lineages differentially modulate interferon response in human lung epithelial cells - Although most of the attention was focused on the characterization of changes in the Spike protein among variants of SARS-CoV-2 virus, mutations outside the Spike region are likely to contribute to virus pathogenesis, virus adaptation and escape to the immune system. Phylogenetic analysis of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strains reveals that several virus sub-lineages could be distinguished, from BA.1 up to BA.5. Regarding BA.1, BA.2 and BA.5, several mutations concern viral proteins with antagonistic…

• Purification and characterisation of heparin-like sulfated polysaccharides with potent anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity from snail mucus of Achatina fulica - Heparin-like sulfated polysaccharide, acharan sulfate, was purified from the mucus of an African giant snail with unique sulfated glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). This study reported on finding novel and safe heparin resources from Achatina fulica for further use as well as easy isolation and purification of the active fraction from the initial raw material. Its structure was characterised by a strong-anion exchange combined with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and nuclear magnetic…

• Structure-guided optimization of adenosine mimetics as selective and potent inhibitors of coronavirus nsp14 N7-methyltransferases - The COVID-19 pandemic reveals the urgent need to develop new therapeutics targeting the SARS-CoV-2 replication machinery. The first antiviral drugs were nucleoside analogues targeting RdRp and protease inhibitors active on nsp5 Mpro. In addition to these common antiviral targets, SARS-CoV-2 codes for the highly conserved protein nsp14 harbouring N7-methyltransferase (MTase) activity. Nsp14 is involved in cap N7-methylation of viral RNA and its inhibition impairs viral RNA translation and immune…

• Immunization with Recombinant Accessory Protein-Deficient SARS-CoV-2 Protects against Lethal Challenge and Viral Transmission - Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has led to a worldwide coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Despite the high efficacy of the authorized vaccines, there may be uncertain and unknown side effects or disadvantages associated with current vaccination approaches. Live-attenuated vaccines (LAVs) have been shown to elicit robust and long-term protection by the induction of host innate and adaptive immune responses. In this study, we sought to verify an attenuation…

From Patent Search