Covid-19 Sentry

Contents

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

From Preprints

• A precise score for the regular monitoring of COVID-19 patients condition validated within the first two waves of the pandemic -

  Purpose. The sudden outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic have shown that medical community needs an accurate and interpretable aggregated score not only for an outcome prediction but also for a daily patient9s condition assessment. Due to a continuously changing pandemic landscape, a robustness becomes a crucial additional requirement for the score. Materials and methods. In this research a real-world data collected within the first two waves of COVID-19 pandemic was used. The first wave data (1349 cases collected from 27.04.2020 to 03.08.2020) was used as a training set for the score development, while the second wave data (1453 cases collected from 01.11.2020 to 19.01.2021) was used as a validating set. For all the available patients features we tested their association with an outcome using a robust linear regression. Statistically significant features were taken to the further analysis for each of which their partial sensitivity, specificity and promptness were estimated. The sensitivity and the specificity were further combined into a feature informativeness index. Results. The developed score was derived as a weighted sum of the following 9 features showed the best trade-off between informativeness and promptness: APTT (> 42 sec, 4 points), CRP (> 146 mg/L, 3 points), D-dimer (> 2149 mkg/L, 4 points), Glucose (> 9 mmol/L, 4 points), Hemoglobin (< 115 g/L, 3 points), Lymphocytes (< 0,710^9/L, 3 points), Total protein (< 61 g/L, 6 points), Urea (> 11 mmol/L, 5 points) and WBC (> 13,510^9/L, 4 points). Thus, the proposed score ranges between 0 and 36 points. Internal and temporal validation showed that sensitivity and specificity over 90% may be achieved with an expected prediction range >7 days. Moreover, we demonstrated a high robustness of the score to the varying peculiarities of the pandemic. For the additional simplicity of application we split the full range of the score into four parts associated with particular death/discharge odds (3:1, 1:1, 1:4) determined with bounds 22, 14 and 5 points correspondingly. Conclusions. An extensive application of the score within the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic showed its potential for the optimization of patients management as well as improvement of medical staff attentiveness during a high workload stress. The transparent structure of the score as well as tractable cut-off bounds simplified its implementation into a clinical practice.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: A precise score for the regular monitoring of COVID-19 patients condition validated within the first two waves of the pandemic
• Predictors of Social Distancing and Hand Washing among Adults in Five Countries during COVID-19 -
  Proper hand washing and social distancing measures have been promoted as mitigating strategies to slow the spread of COVID-19 across the world. However, no study to date has investigated the risk and protective characteristics associated with practicing proper hand washing or social distancing. The present study examined the effects of such characteristics among 2,509 adults from the United States, Italy, Spain, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and India. In the overall sample, age was significantly associated with social distancing (b = 0.07, β = 0.36, p = .001) but not hand washing. Lesbian women and gay men were less likely to engage in social distancing (b = -0.92, β = -0.07, p = .001) and hand washing (b = -0.39, β = -0.08, p < .001) relative to their heterosexual peers. No significant differences were found in the overall sample with regard to education level or employment status, but rural (b = -0.45, β = -0.07, p = .003) respondents were significantly less likely to practice social distancing compared to their urban counterparts. Furthermore, both suburban (b = -0.12, β = -0.06, p = .014) and rural (b = -0.13, β = -0.05, p = .022) respondents were significantly less likely to practice appropriate hand washing compared to their urban peers. Taken together, the results suggest multiple nuanced disparities exist regarding social distancing and hand washing among adults internationally. As such, more tailored and culturally-responsive clinical and community-based interventions may be needed to promote preventive measures to mitigate existing COVID-related disparities.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Predictors of Social Distancing and Hand Washing among Adults in Five Countries during COVID-19
• Mixed Emotions, But Not Positive or Negative Emotions, Facilitate Legitimate Virus-Prevention Behaviors and Eudaimonic Outcomes in the Emergence of the COVID-19 Crisis -
  We report four studies (N=1419) examining emotional reactions from March to April 2020, when COVID-19 exhibited exponentially increasing infections and fatalities. Specifically, we examined associations between emotions with self-reported intentions to enact virus-prevention behaviors that protect oneself from COVID-19 and eudaimonic functioning. Study 1A, 1B, and Study 2 provided naturalistic evidence that mixed emotions predicted legitimate virus-prevention behaviors and eudaimonic functioning in the United States and Singapore, and Study 2 also supported receptivity as a mediator. Finally, Study 3 provided experimental evidence that mixed emotions causally increased legitimate virus-prevention behaviors relative to neutral, positive emotion, and negative emotion conditions, whereas eudaimonic functioning was increased only relative to the neutral condition. Across all studies, positive and negative emotions were unrelated to legitimate virus-prevention behaviors, while relationships with eudaimonic functioning were inconsistent. While self-reported measures do not represent actual behaviors, the findings suggest a potential role for mixed emotions in pandemic-related outcomes.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Mixed Emotions, But Not Positive or Negative Emotions, Facilitate Legitimate Virus-Prevention Behaviors and Eudaimonic Outcomes in the Emergence of the COVID-19 Crisis
• Racial and ethnic differences in COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and uptake -

  Background: Racial and ethnic minorities have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. In the initial phase of population-based vaccination in the United States (U.S.) and United Kingdom (U.K.), vaccine hesitancy and limited access may result in disparities in uptake. Methods: We performed a cohort study among U.S. and U.K. participants in the smartphone-based COVID Symptom Study (March 24, 2020-February 16, 2021). We used logistic regression to estimate odds ratios (ORs) of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy (unsure/not willing) and receipt. Results: In the U.S. (n=87,388), compared to White non-Hispanic participants, the multivariable ORs of vaccine hesitancy were 3.15 (95% CI: 2.86 to 3.47) for Black participants, 1.42 (1.28 to 1.58) for Hispanic participants, 1.34 (1.18 to 1.52) for Asian participants, and 2.02 (1.70 to 2.39) for participants reporting more than one race/other. In the U.K. (n=1,254,294), racial and ethnic minorities had similarly elevated hesitancy: compared to White participants, their corresponding ORs were 2.84 (95% CI: 2.69 to 2.99) for Black participants, 1.66 (1.57 to 1.76) for South Asian participants, 1.84 (1.70 to 1.98) for Middle East/East Asian participants, and 1.48 (1.39 to 1.57) for participants reporting more than one race/other. Among U.S. participants, the OR of vaccine receipt was 0.71 (0.64 to 0.79) for Black participants, a disparity that persisted among individuals who specifically endorsed a willingness to obtain a vaccine. In contrast, disparities in uptake were not observed in the U.K. Conclusions: COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy was greater among racial and ethnic minorities, and Black participants living in the U.S. were less likely to receive a vaccine than White participants. Lower uptake among Black participants in the U.S. during the initial vaccine rollout is attributable to both hesitancy and disparities in access.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Racial and ethnic differences in COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and uptake
• Histopathological assessments reveal retinal vascular changes, inflammation, and gliosis in patients with lethal COVID-19 -

  Importance: We are in the midst of the human coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), which is of historic proportions, the likes of which we have not seen in 102 years. Despite being primarily a respiratory virus, COVID-19 can also present with non-respiratory signs, including ocular symptoms as conjunctival hyperemia, chemosis, epiphora, increased secretions, ocular pain, photophobia and dry eye. The virus has also been detected within the anterior chamber and in the ocular fluids suggesting that ocular tissue maybe affected due to Sars-CoV-2 infection. Objective: To assess for histopathological changes within the retina and the choroid and determine the long-term sequelae of the viral infection. Design, Setting, and Participants: 12 donor eyes from COVID-19 positive individuals and similar age matched donor eyes from patients with negative test for SARS-CoV-2 were assessed. Eyes were fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde and 0.5% glutaraldehyde in PBS within 6 hours postmortem. Main Outcomes and Measures: Globes were evaluated with macroscopic, SLO and OCT imaging. Macula and peripheral regions were processed for epon-embedding and immunocytochemistry with markers for SARS-CoV-2 infection, gliosis, inflammation and vasculature. Results: Fundus analysis shows hemorrhagic spots and increased vitreous debris in several of the COVID-19 eyes compared to the control. OCT based measurements indicated an increased trend in retinal thickness in the COVID-19 eyes, however the difference was not statistically significant. Histology of the retina showed presence of hemorrhages and central cystoid degeneration in several of the donors. Whole mount analysis of the retina labeled with markers showed changes in retinal microvasculature, increased inflammation, and gliosis in the COVID-19 eyes compared to the controls. The choroidal vasculature displayed localized changes in density and signs of increased inflammation in the COVID-19 samples. Conclusions and Relevance: In situ analysis of the retinal tissue suggested that there are severe subclinical abnormalities that could be detected in the COVID-19 eyes. This study provides a rationale for evaluating the ocular physiology of patients that have recovered from COVID-19 infections to further understand the long-term effects caused by this virus.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Histopathological assessments reveal retinal vascular changes, inflammation, and gliosis in patients with lethal COVID-19
• Interpreting vaccine efficacy trial results for infection and transmission -

  Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have shown high efficacy of multiple vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 disease (COVID-19), but evidence remains scarce about vaccines9 efficacy against infection with, and ability to transmit, the virus. We describe an approach to estimate these vaccines9 effects on viral positivity, a prevalence measure which under reasonable assumptions forms a lower bound on efficacy against transmission. Specifically, we recommend separate analysis of positive tests triggered by symptoms (usually the primary outcome) and cross-sectional prevalence of positive tests obtained regardless of symptoms. The odds ratio of carriage for vaccine vs. placebo provides an unbiased estimate of vaccine effectiveness against viral positivity, under certain assumptions, and we show through simulations that likely departures from these assumptions will only modestly bias this estimate. Applying this approach to published data from the RCT of the Moderna vaccine, we estimate that one dose of vaccine reduces the potential for transmission by at least 61%, possibly considerably more. We describe how these approaches can be translated into observational studies of vaccine effectiveness.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Interpreting vaccine efficacy trial results for infection and transmission
• To Sit Quietly in a Room Alone: The Psychology of Social, Material, and Sensation Seeking Input -
  External input is any kind of physical stimulation created by an individual’s surroundings that can be detected by the senses. The present research established a novel conceptualization of this construct by investigating it from the perspective of three research areas that tap into its different aspects but have so far been disconnected—materialism, social motives, and sensation seeking. Studies 1-5 focused on individual differences regarding external input (i.e., the needs for material, social, and sensation seeking input). It was established that the three needs are positively related and constitute different dimensions of the overarching construct of external input, that the needs for social and sensation seeking input have negative consequences for how people experience long-term input deprivation (i.e., COVID-19 restrictions), and that the need for material input has negative consequences for people’s experiences of short-term input deprivation (i.e., sitting in a chair without doing anything else but thinking). Finally, Study 6 focused on external input as a situational characteristic and showed that the degree of sensation seeking input constituting various situations is a more important predictor, relative to social and material input, of how enjoyable and meaningful people perceive the situations and of their willingness to engage in them. Overall, the present research established a novel construct that has fundamental implications for people’s experiences and actions in a range of different contexts.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: To Sit Quietly in a Room Alone: The Psychology of Social, Material, and Sensation Seeking Input
• PREDICTORS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS OCCURRING AFTER THE FIRST WAVE OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN POLAND -
  The article presents the results of research aimed to identify the predictors of psychological distress among Poles seven months after the occurrence of the first case of COVID-19. In order to gather the research material, the CAWI on-line survey method was applied and carried out within the framework of the Ariadna Research Panel on the sample of 1079 Poles aged 15 and over. The results of the conducted research indicate that Polish society experienced psychological distress as a result of the first wave of the pandemic. According to the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10), no mental disorders were observed among 36% of Poles, mild mental disorders were observed among 23% of respondents, average levels of disorders were observed among 18% of respondents, whereas high levels of disorders were observed among 23% of respondents. A hierarchical linear regression analysis was used to identify the predictors of psychological distress. In the first stage, socio-demographic variables explained 20% of the distress variance. In the second stage, the variables measuring social nuisances of the pandemic were introduced, which increased the percentage of the explained stress variance to 33%. In the third stage, the introduced psychological variables increased the percentage of the explained variance to 73%. The main factor which increased stress levels was neuroticism. The conducted analyses have shown that the lack of social, economic and psychological capital significantly increases the susceptibility to distress when a threat to life and health lasts for a prolonged period of time.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: PREDICTORS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS OCCURRING AFTER THE FIRST WAVE OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN POLAND
• Refuting the myth of a ‘tsunami’ of mental ill-health in populations affected by COVID-19: Evidence that response to the pandemic is heterogenous, not homogeneous -
  Background: The current study argues that population prevalence estimates for mental health disorders, or changes in mean scores over time, may not adequately reflect the heterogeneity in mental health response to the COVID-19 pandemic within the population. Methods: The COVID-19 Psychological Research Consortium (C19PRC) Study is a longitudinal, nationally representative, online survey of UK adults. The current study analysed data from its first three waves of data collection: Wave 1 (March 2020, N=2025), Wave 2 (April 2020, N=1406) and Wave 3 (July 2020, N=1166). Anxiety-depression was measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire Anxiety and Depression Scale (a composite measure of the PHQ-9 and GAD-7) and COVID-19 related PTSD with the International Trauma Questionnaire. Changes in mental health outcomes were modelled across the three waves. Latent class growth analysis was used to identify subgroups of individuals with different trajectories of change in anxiety-depression and COVID-19 PTSD. Latent class membership was regressed on baseline characteristics. Results: Overall prevalence of anxiety-depression remained stable, while COVID-19 PTSD reduced between Waves 2 and 3. Heterogeneity in mental health response was found, and hypothesised classes reflecting (i) stability, (ii) improvement, and (iii) deterioration in mental health were identified. Psychological factors were most likely to differentiate the improving, deteriorating and high-stable classes from the low-stable mental health trajectories. Conclusions: A low-stable profile characterised by little-to-no psychological distress (‘resilient’ class) was the most common trajectory for both anxiety-depression and COVID-19 PTSD. Monitoring these trajectories is necessary moving forward, in particular for the ~30% of individuals with increasing anxiety-depression levels.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Refuting the myth of a ‘tsunami’ of mental ill-health in populations affected by COVID-19: Evidence that response to the pandemic is heterogenous, not homogeneous
• Integrative Therapy based on Yoga, Ayurveda and Modern Western Medicine for Treatment of High-risk Cases of COVID-19: A Telemedicine-Based Case Series -
  Background: We report a telemedicine-based case-series of thirty high risk COVID-19 positive patients with co-morbidities such as Diabetes Mellitus (DM), Hypertension (HTN), Hypothyroidism, Ulcerative Colitis and Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) or aged 60 and above (or possibly both), treated successfully using an Integrative Therapy plan based on Ayurveda, Yoga and Modern Western Medicine. The symptoms experienced by the patients included fever, body-ache, sore throat/throat pain, cough/running nose, headache, nasal/chest congestion, stomach problems (such as diarrhea, constipation), nausea, loss of taste, loss of smell, foul smell or taste, loss of appetite, weakness, gastric upset, respiratory trouble (such as breathlessness or high respiration rate) and anxiety. Two patients (both aged above 70) were asymptomatic and remained asymptomatic during the entire course of the treatment. Design: The reported cases have been categorized into YAS (patients taking Yoga and Ayurveda based treatment, with possibly western Supplements), YASP (patients taking Yoga and Ayurveda based treatment, with possibly western Supplements and Paracetamol), YAM (patients taking Yoga and Ayurveda based treatment, and Modern western medicine (MWM) as an adjunct), MYA (patients who first tried the Modern western medicines (in most of the cases mandated by the government) and later switched to Yoga and Ayurveda treatment. The last group has been further subdivided into subgroups – patients who developed new symptoms after the commencement of Yoga and Ayurveda-based treatment (MYA-S) and those who did not (MYS-NS). The YAS group had 4 patients, YASP had 6 patients, YAM had 6 and MYA had 14 patients (MYA-S having 7 and MYA-NS having 7). Case-Series Presentation: Ayurveda is a highly personalized system of medicine that considers the Prakruti (the Ayurvedic constitution) as well as Vikruti (the homeostatic imbalances) in treating the patients. Based on the patient’s symptoms and co-morbidities, a personalized treatment plan including Ayurvedic medicines, Yoga protocol, dietary recommendations and lifestyle modifications was prescribed by a registered Ayurveda doctor and a Yoga consultant. More than half of the symptomatic patients started experiencing improvement within 5 days (90% within 9 days) from the start of the treatment. More than 60% of the symptomatic patients reported at least 90% recovery within 10 days (90% within 17 days) from the start of the treatment. Six patients, whose SpO2 level was observed to be at or below 95%, benefited from the practice of Makarasana and Shithilasana. None of the patients progressed to severe stage of illness. Many patients experienced improvement with respect to their comorbidities besides COVID-related symptoms. Some of them, after recovering from COVID, even sought consultation for long-term management of their comorbidities through Ayurveda and Yoga. Some patients got so convinced about the possibility of restoration of health through Yoga, that they adopted this practice into their lifestyle. Conclusions: The Integrative Therapy was found to be very effective in mitigating the symptoms of all the high-risk cases of COVID-19 patients with comorbidities who remained compliant to the treatment. Considering that approximately 32.8% of the patients with the comorbidities such as DM, HTN, COPD, cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, Hepatitis B, malignancy, immunodeficiency progress to severe stage of illness, and assuming under the null hypothesis that a similar percentage of patients are expected to progress to a severe stage for the treatment population, the corresponding p-value (incorporating 23 symptomatic patients with one or more of the above comorbidities) turns out to be 1.07 e-4. Integrative Therapy based on classical texts of Ayurveda and Yoga from the East and emergency treatment of modern western medicine may offer a promising and scalable treatment option for COVID-19 patients. More studies including a suitably designed randomized controlled trial is needed to assess its efficacy.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Integrative Therapy based on Yoga, Ayurveda and Modern Western Medicine for Treatment of High-risk Cases of COVID-19: A Telemedicine-Based Case Series
• Minimizing loss of life in Covid-19 in a 100 day period in the U.S.A. by personalized-dose vaccination and distribution of a limited vaccine supply -

  Background: We aimed at minimizing loss of lives in the Covid-19 pandemic in the USA by identifying optimal vaccination strategies during a 100-day period with limited vaccine supplies. While lethality is highest in the elderly, transmission and case numbers are highest in the younger. A strategy of first vaccinating the elderly is widely used, thought to protect the vulnerable, elderly best. Despite lower immunogenicity in the elderly, mRNA vaccines retain high efficacy, implying that in the younger, reduced vaccine doses might suffice, thereby increasing vaccination counts with a given vaccine supply. Methods: Using published immunogenicity data of the Moderna mRNA-1273 vaccine, we examined the value of personalized-dose vaccination strategies, using a modeling approach incorporating age-related vaccine immunogenicity, social contact patterns, population structure, Covid-19 case and death rates in the USA in late January 2021. An increase if the number of persons that can be vaccinated and a potential reduction of the individual protective efficacy was accounted for. Results: Age-personalized dosing strategies reduced cases faster, shortening the pandemic, reducing the delay to reaching <1009000 cases/day from 64 to 30 days and avoiding 259000 deaths within 100 days in the USA. In an 9elderly first9 vaccination strategy, mortality is higher even in the elderly. Findings were robust with transmission blocking efficacies of reduced dose vaccination between 30% to 90%, and with a vaccine supply from 1 to 3 million full dose vaccinations per day. Conclusion: Rapid reduction of Covid-19 case and death rate in the USA in 100 days with a limited vaccine supply is best achieved when personalized, age-tailored dosing for highly effective vaccines is used, according to this vaccination strategy model parameterized to U.S. demographics, Covid-19 transmission and vaccine characteristics. Protecting the vulnerable is most effectively achieved by personalized-dose vaccination of all population segments, while an 9elderly first9 approach costs more lives, even in the elderly.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Minimizing loss of life in Covid-19 in a 100 day period in the U.S.A. by personalized-dose vaccination and distribution of a limited vaccine supply
• Endothelium-protective, histone-neutralizing properties of the polyanionic agent defibrotide -

  Neutrophil-mediated activation and injury of the endothelium play a role in the pathogenesis of diverse disease states ranging from autoimmunity to cancer to COVID-19. Neutralization of cationic proteins (such as neutrophil extracellular trap/NET-derived histones) with polyanionic compounds has been suggested as a potential strategy for protecting the endothelium from such insults. Here, we report that the FDA-approved polyanionic agent defibrotide (a pleotropic mixture of oligonucleotides) directly engages histones and thereby blocks their pathological effects on endothelium. In vitro, defibrotide counteracted endothelial cell activation and cell death, whether triggered by purified NETs, COVID-19 serum containing high levels of NETs, or recombinant histone H4. In vivo, defibrotide stabilized the endothelium and protected against histone-accelerated inferior vena cava thrombosis in mice. Mechanistically, defibrotide demonstrated direct and tight binding to histone H4 as detected by both electrophoretic mobility shift assay and surface plasmon resonance. Taken together, these data provide insights into the potential role of polyanionic compounds in protecting the endothelium from thromboinflammation with potential implications for myriad NET- and histone-accelerated disease states.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Endothelium-protective, histone-neutralizing properties of the polyanionic agent defibrotide
• A catalog of associations between rare coding variants and COVID-19 outcomes -

  Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19), a respiratory illness that can result in hospitalization or death. We investigated associations between rare genetic variants and seven COVID-19 outcomes in 543,213 individuals, including 8,248 with COVID-19. After accounting for multiple testing, we did not identify any clear associations with rare variants either exome-wide or when specifically focusing on (i) 14 interferon pathway genes in which rare deleterious variants have been reported in severe COVID-19 patients; (ii) 167 genes located in COVID-19 GWAS risk loci; or (iii) 32 additional genes of immunologic relevance and/or therapeutic potential. Our analyses indicate there are no significant associations with rare protein-coding variants with detectable effect sizes at our current sample sizes. Analyses will be updated as additional data become available, with results publicly browsable at https://rgc-covid19.regeneron.com.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: A catalog of associations between rare coding variants and COVID-19 outcomes
• Initial evaluation of a mobile SARS-CoV-2 RT-LAMP testing strategy -

  Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) control in the United States remains hampered, in part, by testing limitations. We evaluated a simple, outdoor, mobile, colorimetric reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assay workflow where self-collected saliva is tested for SARS-CoV-2 RNA. From July 16 to November 19, 2020, 4,704 surveillance samples were collected from volunteers and tested for SARS-CoV-2 at 5 sites. A total of 21 samples tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 by RT-LAMP; 12 were confirmed positive by subsequent quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) testing, while 8 were negative for SARS-CoV-2 RNA, and 1 could not be confirmed because the donor did not consent to further molecular testing. We estimated the RT-LAMP assay9s false-negative rate from July 16 to September 17, 2020 by pooling residual heat-inactivated saliva that was unambiguously negative by RT-LAMP into groups of 6 or less and testing for SARS-CoV-2 RNA by qRT-PCR. We observed a 98.8% concordance between the RT-LAMP and qRT-PCR assays, with only 5 of 421 RT-LAMP negative pools (2,493 samples) testing positive in the more sensitive qRT-PCR assay. Overall, we demonstrate a rapid testing method that can be implemented outside the traditional laboratory setting by individuals with basic molecular biology skills and can effectively identify asymptomatic individuals who would not typically meet the criteria for symptom-based testing modalities.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Initial evaluation of a mobile SARS-CoV-2 RT-LAMP testing strategy
• Occupational Portrait of A Pandemic Workforce: Latin Americans in the Health and the Sales & Services Sectors of Canada -
  Reflecting on present COVID-19 pandemic times in Canada and using both visible and ethnic ancestry information from the 2016 census, the author produced an occupational portrait of the Latin American workforce of the Health and Sales & Services sectors of the country. The focus was on full-time, full-year workers, aged 25-64, who received employment income in 2015. The workforce in the Health and Sales & Services sectors totaled 5.5 thousand and 24.3 thousand individuals respectively. The occupational portrait, which was developed based on the Canadian 2016 NOC occupational classification system, revealed an active participation of Latino workers in activities enhancing sanitary protection and the economic survival of the Canadian population. Women, and established and recent immigrants as well as those reporting Central American ethnic origins were found among those who most participated in the economic activities of the sectors. The most typical jobs performed by Latin American workers were as nursing aides in the Health sector and janitorial (males) and light or specialized cleaners (women) in the Sales & Services sector. The nature of these jobs made them a high health-risk group and vulnerable one in pandemic times as they entail working in close proximity to other colleagues and the general public.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Occupational Portrait of A Pandemic Workforce: Latin Americans in the Health and the Sales & Services Sectors of Canada

From Clinical Trials

• COVID-19 Antithrombotic Rivaroxaban Evaluation - Condition:   COVID-19
  Intervention:   Drug: Rivaroxaban 10 mg
  Sponsors:   Hospital Alemão Oswaldo Cruz;   Bayer;   Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein;   Hospital do Coracao;   Hospital Sirio-Libanes;   Hospital Moinhos de Vento;   Brazilian Research In Intensive Care Network;   Brazilian Clinical Research Institute
  Recruiting

• A Safety and Efficacy Study of Human Monoclonal Antibodies, BRII-196 and BRII-198 for the Treatment of Patients With COVID-19 - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Drug: BRII-196 and BRII-198;   Drug: Placebo
  Sponsor:   Brii Biosciences, Inc.
  Not yet recruiting

• Protecting Native Families From COVID-19 - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Behavioral: Motivational Interviewing;   Behavioral: COVID-19 Symptom Monitoring System;   Behavioral: Motivational Interviewing and COVID-19 Symptom Monitoring System;   Other: Supportive Services
  Sponsor:   Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
  Not yet recruiting

• Safety and Efficacy of Thymic Peptides in the Treatment of Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients in Honduras - Condition:   COVID-19
  Intervention:   Biological: Thymic peptides
  Sponsors:   Universidad Católica de Honduras;   Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile
  Recruiting

• A Study to Assess the Safety and Immunogenicity of the Coronavac Vaccine Against COVID-19 - Condition:   COVID-19
  Intervention:   Biological: Adsorbed COVID-19 (inactivated) Vaccine
  Sponsors:   D’Or Institute for Research and Education;   Butantan Institute
  Not yet recruiting

• A Study to Evaluate UB-612 COVID-19 Vaccine in Adolescent, Younger and Elderly Adult Volunteers - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Biological: UB-612;   Biological: Placebo
  Sponsors:   United Biomedical Inc., Asia;   COVAXX
  Recruiting

• Clinical Trial to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of ATR-002 in Adult Hospitalized Patients With COVID-19 - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Drug: ATR-002;   Drug: Placebo
  Sponsor:   Atriva Therapeutics GmbH
  Not yet recruiting

• COVID-19 Treatment Cascade Optimization Study - Condition:   COVID-19 Testing
  Interventions:   Behavioral: Navigation Services;   Behavioral: Critical Dialogue;   Behavioral: Brief Counseling;   Behavioral: Referral and Digital Brochure
  Sponsors:   University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign;   North Jersey Community Research Initiative;   National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD);   University of Michigan
  Recruiting

• Adoptive SARS-CoV-2 Specific T Cell Transfer in Patients at Risk for Severe COVID-19 - Condition:   Moderate COVID-19-infection
  Interventions:   Drug: IMP 1,000 plus SoC;   Drug: IMP 5,000 plus SoC;   Drug: IMP RP2D plus SoC;   Drug: SoC
  Sponsors:   Universitätsklinikum Köln;   ZKS Köln;   MMH Institute for Transfusion Medicine;   Miltenyi Biomedicine GmbH
  Not yet recruiting

• A Safety and Immunogenicity Study of Inactivated SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine (Vero Cells) in Healthy Population Aged 18 Years and Above(COVID-19) - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Biological: medium dosage inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine;   Biological: high dosage inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine;   Biological: Placebo
  Sponsors:   Beijing Minhai Biotechnology Co., Ltd;   Shenzhen Kangtai Biological Products Co., LTD;   Jiangsu Province Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  Active, not recruiting

• A Study to Evaluate Safety and Immunogenicity of Inactivated SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine (Vero Cells) in Healthy Population Aged 18 Years and Above(COVID-19) - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Biological: medium dosage inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine;   Biological: high dosage inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine;   Biological: Placebo
  Sponsors:   Beijing Minhai Biotechnology Co., Ltd;   Shenzhen Kangtai Biological Products Co., LTD;   Jiangsu Province Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  Active, not recruiting

• Study to Evaluate a Single Dose of STI-2020 (COVI-AMG™) in Hospitalized Adults With COVID-19 - Condition:   Covid19
  Interventions:   Biological: COVI-AMG;   Drug: Placebo
  Sponsor:   Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc.
  Not yet recruiting

• The Safety and Efficacy of FB2001 in Healthy Subjects and Patients With COVID-19 Infection - Condition:   Covid19
  Interventions:   Drug: FB2001;   Drug: FB2001 Placebo
  Sponsor:   Frontier Biotechnologies Inc.
  Not yet recruiting

• Effect of Prone Position onV/Q Matching in Non-intubated Patients With COVID-19 - Condition:   Covid19
  Intervention:   Other: prone position
  Sponsor:   Southeast University, China
  Not yet recruiting

• Anesthetic & Surgical Protocol for Emergency Surgeries During the Era of COVID-19 - Condition:   COVID-19
  Intervention:   Procedure: Emergency surgical procedures
  Sponsors:   Benha University;   Tanta University
  Completed

From PubMed

• Management protocol for Fournier’s gangrene in sanitary regime caused by SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: A case report - CONCLUSION: Early management prevents the resection of the other organs by inhibiting the contiguous spread of infection.

• Possible Antiviral Activity of 5-Aminolevulinic Acid in Feline Infectious Peritonitis Virus (Feline Coronavirus) Infection - Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is a life-threatening infectious disease of cats caused by virulent feline coronavirus (FIP virus: FIPV). For the treatment of FIP, several effective antivirals were recently reported, but many of these are not available for practical use. 5-amino levulinic acid (5-ALA) is a low-molecular-weight amino acid synthesized in plant and animal cells. 5-ALA can be synthesized in a large amount, and it is widely applied in the medical and agricultural fields. We…

• Immunomodulatory Effects of Azithromycin Revisited: Potential Applications to COVID-19 - The rapid advancement of the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted an accelerated pursuit to identify effective therapeutics. Stages of the disease course have been defined by viral burden, lung pathology, and progression through phases of the immune response. Immunological factors including inflammatory cell infiltration and cytokine storm have been associated with severe disease and death. Many immunomodulatory therapies for COVID-19 are currently being investigated, and preliminary results support…

• Modalities and Mechanisms of Treatment for Coronavirus Disease 2019 - Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is spreading rapidly throughout the world. Although COVID-19 has a relatively low case severity rate compared to SARS and Middle East Respiratory syndrome it is a major public concern because of its rapid spread and devastating impact on the global economy. Scientists and clinicians are urgently trying to identify drugs to combat the virus with hundreds of clinical trials…

• Inhibition of ACE2 Expression by Ascorbic Acid Alone and its Combinations with Other Natural Compounds - CONCLUSION: Our study provides valuable experimental confirmation of the efficacy of micronutrients in controlling ACE2 expression-the coronavirus cellular “entry” point. It further validates the importance of nutrient interactions in various aspects of cellular metabolism and in considering potential therapeutic applications of nutrient-based approaches. The study shows that ascorbic acid and its combination with some natural compounds could be included in developing preventive and therapeutic…

• Exposure of human intestinal epithelial cells and primary human hepatocytes to trypsin-like serine protease inhibitors with potential antiviral effect - Human intestinal epithelial cell line-6 (HIEC-6) cells and primary human hepatocytes (PHHs) were treated with 3-amidinophenylalanine-derived inhibitors of trypsin-like serine proteases for 24 hours. It was proven that treatment with MI-1900 and MI-1907 was tolerated up to 50 μM in HIEC-6. These inhibitors did not cause elevations in extracellular H(2)O(2) levels and in the concentrations of interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8 and did not alter occludin distribution in HIEC-6. It was also found that…

• Ginkgolic acid and anacardic acid are specific covalent inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 cysteine proteases - CONCLUSIONS: Our finding provides two novel natural products as promising SARS-CoV-2 antivirals.

• Mechanisms of COVID-19 Entry into the Cell: Potential Therapeutic Approaches Based on Virus Entry Inhibition in COVID-19 Patients with Underlying Diseases - The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) virus spread from Wuhan, China, in 2019 and is spreading rapidly around the world. COVID-19 victims are almost associated with cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and other underlying diseases. Concerning the high prevalence of these disorders, widespread mortality threatens global society, and its fatality rate may increase with increasing COVID-19 prevalence in countries with older populations. Therefore, evaluating patients’ clinical…

• A new class of alpha-ketoamide derivatives with potent anticancer and anti-SARS-CoV-2 activities - Inhibitors of the proteasome have been extensively studied for their applications in the treatment of human diseases such as hematologic malignancies, autoimmune disorders, and viral infections. Many of the proteasome inhibitors reported in the literature target the non-primed site of proteasome’s substrate binding pocket. In this study, we designed, synthesized and characterized a series of novel α-keto phenylamide derivatives aimed at both the primed and non-primed sites of the proteasome. In…

• Glucosylceramide synthase inhibitors prevent replication of SARS-CoV-2 and Influenza virus - The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is a major threat to global health. Vaccines are ideal solutions to prevent infection, but treatments are also needed for those who have contracted the virus to limit negative outcomes, when vaccines are not applicable. Viruses must cross host cell membranes during their lifecycle, creating a dependency on processes involving membrane dynamics. Thus, in this study we examined whether the…

• Platelet-Activating Immune Complexes Identified in Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients Suspected of Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia - CONCLUSIONS: Our study identifies platelet-activating ICs as a novel mechanism that contributes to critically ill COVID-19.

• MicroRNA Mimics or Inhibitors as Antiviral Therapeutic Approaches Against COVID-19 - Coronaviruses, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) responsible for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, present a significant threat to human health by inflicting a wide variety of health complications and even death. While conventional therapeutics often involve administering small molecules to fight viral infections, small non-coding RNA sequences, known as microRNAs (miRNAs/miR-), may present a novel antiviral strategy. We can take advantage of…

• SARS-CoV-2 nsp12 attenuates type I interferon production by inhibiting IRF3 nuclear translocation - SARS-CoV-2 is the pathogenic agent of COVID-19, which has evolved into a global pandemic. Compared with some other respiratory RNA viruses, SARS-CoV-2 is a poor inducer of type I interferon (IFN). Here, we report that SARS-CoV-2 nsp12, the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), suppresses host antiviral responses. SARS-CoV-2 nsp12 attenuated Sendai virus (SeV)- or poly(I:C)-induced IFN-β promoter activation in a dose-dependent manner. It also inhibited IFN promoter activation triggered by…

• A SARS-CoV-2 cytopathicity dataset generated by high-content screening of a large drug repurposing collection - SARS-CoV-2 is a novel coronavirus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, in which acute respiratory infections are associated with high socio-economic burden. We applied high-content screening to a well-defined collection of 5632 compounds including 3488 that have undergone previous clinical investigations across 600 indications. The compounds were screened by microscopy for their ability to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 cytopathicity in the human epithelial colorectal adenocarcinoma cell line, Caco-2. The…

• Cyclic gallium-68 labeled peptides for specific detection of human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 - In this study, we developed ACE2-specific, peptide-derived ^(68)Ga-labeled radiotracers, motivated by the hypotheses that (1) ACE2 is an important determinant of SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility, and (2) that modulation of ACE2 in COVID-19 drives severe organ injury. Methods: A series of NOTA-conjugated peptides derived from the known ACE2 inhibitor DX600 were synthesized, with variable linker identity. Since DX600 bears two cystine residues, both linear and cyclic peptides were studied. An ACE2…

From Patent Search

• Sars-CoV-2 vaccine antigens - - link

• SARS-COV-2 BINDING PROTEINS - - link

• Compositions and methods for detecting SARS-CoV-2 spike protein - - link

• 一种3-羟基丁酰化修饰蛋白质药物及其制备方法和应用 - 本发明涉及医药技术领域，公开了一种3‑羟基丁酰化修饰蛋白质药物（例如抗体）及其制备方法和应用，特别是一种3‑羟基丁酰化修饰抗体及其制备方法和应用。发明人经过大量实验发现，3‑羟基丁酸及其类似物修饰蛋白质药物（例如抗体）后，可以显著提高蛋白质药物的热稳定性、对蛋白酶水解的抗性，降低蛋白质药物的等电点，并显著延长其在受试者体内的半衰期，进而提高其药效。修饰后所得蛋白质药物在科研和临床方面具有广阔的应用前景和较高的商业价值。 - link

• 新冠病毒重组融合蛋白、其制备方法和应用 - 本发明提供一种新冠病毒重组融合蛋白、其制备方法和应用。本发明通过对新冠病毒S和N重组融合蛋白的基因序列进行设计，选择最优的片段进行整合，再通过人源HEK293细胞系统重组表达融合蛋白，经过纯化后对融合蛋白的分子量、纯度进行检测，最后利用融合蛋白制成新冠病毒抗体胶体金检测试纸条/试剂盒。与单独使用S蛋白或N蛋白制备的胶体金检测试纸条相比，该重组融合蛋白制备的胶体金检测试纸条具有更高的灵敏度和更低的漏检率。此外，本发明提供的新冠病毒重组融合蛋白可广泛应用于不同平台技术的新冠抗体检测试剂盒开发，如胶体金、荧光免疫层析、化学发光和酶联免疫等。 - link

• 稳定的冠状病毒重组蛋白二聚体及其表达载体 - 本发明公开了稳定的冠状病毒重组蛋白二聚体及其表达载体，冠状病毒重组蛋白，由冠状病毒S蛋白S‑RBD、冠状病毒N蛋白的CTD区N‑CTD和将二者偶联的连接子构成。本发明一些实例的冠状病毒重组蛋白，可以形成并维持稳定的二聚体结构，避免单体S‑RBD降解，有利于提高冠状病毒重组蛋白的免疫原性，有望用于制备检测试剂原料、疫苗、抗体、预防或治疗性药物。本发明一些实例的冠状病毒重组蛋白二聚体，具有很好的免疫原性。在疫苗开发领域具有广阔的应用前景。本发明一些实例的表达载体，易于表达冠状病毒重组蛋白二聚体且表达量高。 - link

• SELF-CLEANING AND GERM-KILLING REVOLVING PUBLIC TOILET FOR COVID 19 - - link

• 一种新冠病毒S1蛋白的灌流生产系统及方法 - 本发明涉及细胞生物学技术领域，提供了一种新冠病毒S1蛋白的灌流生产系统及方法，包括：细胞反应器，用于培养表达S1蛋白的细胞株；灌流系统，包括过滤装置、出液管、回液管和第一循环泵，所述过滤装置的主体内设有孔径为0.1‑0.2μm的中空纤维柱，用于过滤透出液，截留细胞培养液中的S1蛋白；所述出液管的两端分别与所述细胞反应器和所述中空纤维柱的下端相连通；所述回液管的两端分别与所述细胞反应器和所述中空纤维柱的上端相连通；所述第一循环泵设置于所述出液管与所述中空纤维柱相连的管路中。本发明系统投入成本低且S1蛋白产量高。 - link

• 检测新冠病毒的方法及试剂盒 - 本发明公开了一种检测新冠病毒的方法及试剂盒。其中，该方法包括以下步骤：1）采集样本；2）采用核酸释放剂提取核酸；3）采用LAMP扩增进行检测，其中，核酸释放剂包括：热敏蛋白酶1000U/L~10000U/L、Tris‑HCl 5~50 mmol/L、曲拉通X‑100体积百分比0.05%_{0.5%和金属离子螯合剂0.1}0.5mmol/L，其余为无菌水，热敏蛋白酶为≥55℃加热5~10分钟会完全失活的蛋白酶。应用本发明的检测新冠病毒的方法及试剂盒，检测新冠病毒，检测周期短，操作简单方便，检测结果通俗易懂，检测特异性高，检测成本低。 - link

• 一种新型冠状病毒拉曼光谱数据中心的构建方法 - 本发明公开了一种新型冠状病毒拉曼光谱数据中心的构建方法，该方法包括以下步骤：S1.构建新冠病毒结构蛋白拉曼光谱数据库；S2.构建新冠病毒核酸拉曼光谱数据库；S3.构建新冠病毒颗粒拉曼光谱数据库；S4.构建新冠病毒临床检测样本拉曼光谱数据库；将各新型冠状病毒拉曼光谱数据库存入新型冠状病毒拉曼光谱检测服务器构成新型冠状病毒拉曼光谱数据中心。本发明有效建立了一套完整的新型冠状病毒拉曼光谱数据库，为新冠病毒拉曼检测技术提供可靠的标准数据支撑，有效提高检测结果的准确性及置信度。 - link