Background: Seroprevalence analysis of SARS-CoV-2 is one of the keys to accurately monitor pandemics and help the authorities make health decisions and adjust the current social interventions. The aim of this study was to determine retrospective seroprevalence evolution among blood donors before pandemic, and along the first wave in Spain. A secondary objective was to determine whether age, blood group or haematological parameters are related to recent past infection. Material and Methods: A total of 12719 donations SARS-CoV-2 from July 2019 to October 2020 were analysed. Donors were 60.9% males and their average age was 46+/-13. An automated chemiluminiscence double-antigen sandwich immunoassay for the in vitro semi quantitative detection of total antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in human serum and plasma was performed. Results: Seropositive donation rate grew up from week 11 to week 21, reaching plateau by near 8% donations, sustained until week 43 when 2nd wave arose in our country. 6.7% individuals were positive by the end of 1st wave. No differences by sex age or blood group were found regarding antibodies. Lymphocyte were significantly higher in positive woman as compared to negative ones and haemoglobin were lower in positive men as compared to negative ones. Discussion: Seroprevalence due to asymptomatic cases would be equivalent to that of general population. Sex and age would not affect COVID-19 susceptibility but its severity. Gender differences are present even in asymptomatic individuals: females are possibly protected by their relative lymphocytosis and neutropenia whereas males are would be weaker as seropositive men show a decrease of haematocrit and haemoglobin. Further studies are needed to confirm these gender differences not only in severe but as well in asymptomatic cases as they can help better understand COVID-19 pathogenesis and prognosis.
More than a year after the emergence of COVID-19, significant regional differences in terms of morbidity persist, showing lower incidence rates in sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and Oceania. Like SARS-CoV-1 and MERS viruses, SARS-CoV-2 is monophyletically positioned with parental species of chiropteran coronavirus. Furthermore, we observe that the spatial distribution of several targeted bat species (i.e., Coronavirus species hosts) overlaps the distribution of countries with low COVID-19 incidence. The work presented here aims to test the presence of natural immunity among population with a low COVD-19 prevalence, potentially due to a previous exposure to coronavirus antigens of a virus close related to SARS-CoV-2. To identify such pre-existing immunity, an ELISA serological test was used to detect IgG antibodies targeting main SARS-CoV-2 proteins including: the N-protein, the Spike 1 (S1) protein, the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the S1 protein, the N-terminal domain (NTD) of the S1 protein, and the S2 protein. A total of 574 sera samples collected before 2019 in the population of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) were tested). 189 control sera from blood donors in France were used as control samples. The results showed a statistically significant difference between the DRC samples and control samples for all antigens (N, S1, S2, NTD) except for RBD. The percentage of positive samples presenting reactive antibodies for S1 antigen was respectively of 19.2% for RDC versus 2.11% for the control, and of 9.3% versus 1.6% for the S2 antigen. In conclusion, our data showed that the study population has been potentially exposed to a SARS-CoV-2-like virus antigen before the pandemic in the Central African sub-region. Therefore, it is quite legitimate to think that this prior immunity may be protective and responsible for the observed low prevalence of COVID-19. Moreover, we can assume that this not yet identified SARS-CoV-2-like could be associated to a chiropteran species in close contact with the studied population. In order to confirm the presence of SARS-CoV-2-like virus antibodies and ultimately identify the neutralizing potential for the detected antibodies, our study is underway in other African and Asian countries, where the COVID-19 prevalence is limited.
The DSM-5 Level 1 Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure (DSM-XC) is a transdiagnostic mental health symptom measure that has shown promise in informing clinical diagnostic evaluations and as a screening tool for research. However, few studies have assessed the latent dimensionality of the DSM-XC or provided guidance on how to score the survey. In this report, we examined the factor structure of the DSM-XC in a sample of over 3500 participants enrolled in a protocol on the mental health impact of COVID-19 conducted through the National Institute of Mental Health Intramural Research Program (NIMH IRP) (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04339790). We began by conducting an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to identify the best solution for our data, and then employed a confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) to evaluate the fit of the two-factor solution proposed by Lace and Merz (Lace & Merz, 2020), the fit of our proposed solution, and the measurement invariance of our proposed solution across age, sex, and calendar time. We found a six-factor solution stemming from our EFAs to best fit our data. Each factor captures symptoms related to a specific construct of psychopathology: mood, worry, activation, somatic, confusion, and substance use. Future research should evaluate this six-factor structure using additional datasets to confirm its consistency across research populations and settings.
Objective: To describe changes in NHS outpatient activity connected to the Covid-19 pandemic Design: Nationwide population-based retrospective study Setting: England, UK, 31 December 2018 to 25 October 2020 Data source: Outpatient Hospital Episode Statistics data Results: Between early March and late October 2020, there was a total reduction of 16.6 million outpatient attendances compared to the same period in 2019, equivalent to a 27% decline. The largest weekly drop of 48% relative to 2019 occurred the week beginning 30 March. Activity recovered more slowly than it fell, and by the end of the study period remained 16% lower than the equivalent week in 2019. Changes in patterns of attendances were broadly similar across most patient characteristic groups. There was a substantial increase in the proportion of attendances taking place remotely, peaking at more than one in three during April and May 2020. Differences were observed in trends of remote consultations between age and sex categories, ethnic groups, and proxy deprivation levels. There was also substantial variation in overall activity and use of remote consultations by clinical specialty. Conclusions: The large increase in remote outpatient consultations during the early Covid-19 period, variations in remote care use by specialty as well as proxy deprivation and ethnic groups all suggest a need to evaluate the impact of these changes particularly in light of national policy to encourage greater use of remote consultations.
SARS-CoV-2 started spreading towards the end of 2019 causing COVID-19, a disease that reached pandemic proportions among the human population within months. The reasons for the spectrum of differences in the severity of the disease across the population, and in particular why the disease affects more severely the aging population and those with specific preconditions are unclear. We developed machine learning models to mine 240,000 scientific papers openly accessible in the CORD-19 database, and constructed knowledge graphs to synthesize the extracted information and navigate the collective knowledge in an attempt to search for a potential common underlying reason for disease severity. The literature repeatedly pointed to elevated blood glucose as a key facilitator in the progression of COVID-19. Indeed, when we retraced the steps of the SARS-CoV-2 infection we found evidence linking elevated glucose to each step of the life-cycle of the virus, progression of the disease, and presentation of symptoms. Specifically, elevations of glucose provide ideal conditions for the virus to evade and weaken the first level of the immune defense system in the lungs, gain access to deep alveolar cells, bind to the ACE2 receptor and enter the pulmonary cells, accelerate replication of the virus within cells increasing cell death and inducing an pulmonary inflammatory response, which overwhelms an already weakened innate immune system to trigger an avalanche of systemic infections, inflammation and cell damage, a cytokine storm and thrombotic events. We tested the feasibility of the hypothesis by analyzing data across papers, reconstructing atomistically the virus at the surface of the pulmonary airways, and performing quantitative computational modeling of the effects of glucose levels on the infection process. We conclude that elevation in glucose levels can facilitate the progression of the disease through multiple mechanisms and can explain much of the variance in disease severity seen across the population. The study proposes diagnostic recommendations, new areas of research and potential treatments, and cautions on treatment strategies and critical care conditions that induce elevations in blood glucose levels.
Emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants with concerning phenotypic mutations is of public health interest. Genomic surveillance is an important tool for pandemic response, but many laboratories do not have the resources to support population-level sequencing. We hypothesized that a spike genotyping nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) could facilitate high-throughput variant surveillance.
We designed and analytically validated a one-step multiplex allele-specific reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) to detect three non-synonymous spike protein mutations (L452R, E484K, N501Y). Assay specificity was validated with next-generation whole-genome sequencing. We then screened a large cohort of SARS-CoV-2 positive specimens from our San Francisco Bay Area population.
Between December 1, 2020 and March 1, 2021, we screened 4,049 unique infections by genotyping RT-qPCR, with an assay failure rate of 2.8%. We detected 1,567 L452R mutations (38.7%), 34 N501Y mutations (0.84%), 22 E484K mutations (0.54%), and 3 (0.07%) E484K+N501Y mutations. The assay had near-perfect (98-100%) concordance with whole-genome sequencing in a validation subset of 229 specimens, and detected B.1.1.7, B.1.351, B.1.427, B.1.429, B.1.526, and P.2 variants, among others. The assay revealed rapid emergence of L452R in our population, with a prevalence of 24.8% in December 2020 that increased to 62.5% in March 2021.
We developed and clinically implemented a genotyping RT-qPCR to conduct high-throughput SARS-CoV-2 variant screening. This approach can be adapted for emerging mutations and immediately implemented in laboratories already performing NAAT worldwide using existing equipment, personnel, and extracted nucleic acid.
In this study we profiled vaccine-induced polyclonal antibodies as well as plasmablast derived mAbs from subjects who received SARS-CoV-2 spike mRNA vaccine. Polyclonal antibody responses in vaccinees were robust and comparable to or exceeded those seen after natural infection. However, that the ratio of binding to neutralizing antibodies after vaccination was greater than that after natural infection and, at the monoclonal level, we found that the majority of vaccine-induced antibodies did not have neutralizing activity. We also found a co-dominance of mAbs targeting the NTD and RBD of SARS-CoV-2 spike and an original antigenic-sin like backboost to seasonal human coronaviruses OC43 and HKU1 spike proteins. Neutralizing activity of NTD mAbs but not RBD mAbs against a clinical viral isolate carrying E484K as well as extensive changes in the NTD was abolished, suggesting that a proportion of vaccine induced RBD binding antibodies may provide substantial protection against viral variants carrying E484K.
Objectives To estimate the effectiveness of the CoronaVac COVID-19 vaccine in a setting of SARS-CoV-2 P.1 variant transmission. Design Matched test-negative case-control study to estimate the effectiveness of an inactivated vaccine, CoronaVac, with an early analysis of effectiveness following administration at least one vaccine dose and an analysis of effectiveness following administration of the complete two dose schedule. Setting Cohort of healthcare workers (HCWs) in Manaus, where P.1 accounted for 75% of genotyped SARS-CoV-2 samples at the peak of its epidemic. Participants For the early at-least-one-dose analysis, 53,176 HCWs residing in Manaus and aged 18 years or older, with complete information on age, residence, and vaccination status. For the two-dose analysis, 53,153 HCWs residing in Manaus and aged 18 years or older, with complete information on age, residence, and vaccination status. Main outcome measures The primary outcome was symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection. Results Among 53,153 HCWs eligible for the two-dose analysis, 47,170 (89%) received at least one dose of CoronaVac and 2,656 individuals (5%) underwent RT-PCR testing from 19 January, 2021 to 13 April, 2021. Of 3,195 RT-PCR tests, 885 (28%) were positive. 393 and 418 case-control pairs were selected for the early and two-dose analyses, respectively, matched on calendar time, age, and neighbourhood. In the early analysis, vaccination with at least one dose was associated with a 0.50-fold reduction (adjusted vaccine effectiveness, 49.6%, 95% CI 11.3 to 71.4) in the odds of symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection during the period 14 days or more after receiving the first dose. However, we estimated low effectiveness (adjusted VE 36.8%, 95% CI -54.9 to 74.2) of the two-dose schedule against symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection during the period 14 days or more after receiving the second dose. A finding that vaccinated individuals were much more likely to be infected than unvaccinated individuals in the period 0-13 days after first vaccination (aOR 2.11, 95% CI 1.36-3.27) suggests that among this population of healthcare workers, those at higher risk might take up vaccine earlier, leading to underestimation of its effectiveness. Conclusions Evidence from this test-negative study of the effectiveness of CoronaVac was mixed, and likely affected by bias in this setting. Administration of at least one vaccine dose showed effectiveness against symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection in the setting of epidemic P.1 transmission. However, the low estimated effectiveness of the two-dose schedule underscores the need to maintain non-pharmaceutical interventions while vaccination campaigns with CoronaVac are being implemented.
The impact of variable infection risk by race and ethnicity on the dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 spread is largely unknown. Here, we fit structured compartmental models to seroprevalence data from New York State and analyze how herd immunity thresholds (HITs), final sizes, and epidemic risk changes across groups. A simple model where interactions occur proportionally to contact rates reduced the HIT, but more realistic models of preferential mixing within groups increased the threshold toward the value observed in homogeneous populations. Across all models, the burden of infection fell disproportionately on minority populations: in a model fit to Long Island serosurvey and census data, 81% of Hispanics or Latinos were infected when the HIT was reached compared to 34% of non-Hispanic whites. Our findings, which are meant to be illustrative and not best estimates, demonstrate how racial and ethnic disparities can impact epidemic trajectories and result in unequal distributions of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Oestrogen Treatment for COVID-19 Symptoms - Condition: COVID-19
Intervention: Drug: Transdermal estradiol gel
Sponsors: Hamad Medical Corporation; Laboratoires Besins International
Not yet recruiting
Virgin Coconut Oil as Adjunctive Therapy for Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients - Condition: Covid19
Intervention: Drug: Virgin Coconut Oil
Sponsors: University of the Philippines; Philippine Coconut Authority; Philippine Council for Health Research & Development
Recruiting
Impact of GSE and Xylitol (Xlear) on COVID-19 Symptoms and Time to PCR Negativisation in COVID-19 Patients - Condition: Covid19
Intervention: Drug: GSE and Xylitol
Sponsor: Larkin Community Hospital
Recruiting
Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) as Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) for Prevention of COVID-19 - Conditions: Covid19; COVID-19 Prevention
Interventions: Drug: Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ); Other: Standard care; Other: Placebo
Sponsor: Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research
Recruiting
Study to Evaluate a Single Dose of LTX-109 in Subjects With COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019) Infection. - Condition: COVID-19
Interventions: Drug: LTX-109 gel, 3%; Drug: Placebo gel
Sponsors: Pharma Holdings AS; Clinical Trial Consultants AB
Recruiting
Safety and Efficacy of Niclosamide in Patients With COVID-19 With Gastrointestinal Infection - Condition: Covid19
Interventions: Drug: Niclosamide; Drug: Placebo
Sponsor: AzurRx BioPharma, Inc.
Not yet recruiting
A Immunobridging and Immunization Schedules Study of COVID-19 Vaccine (Vero Cell), Inactivated - Condition: Covid19
Interventions: Biological: 3-doses schedule 1 of COVID-19 Vaccine (Vero Cell), Inactivated; Biological: 3-doses schedule 2 of COVID-19 Vaccine (Vero Cell), Inactivated; Biological: 3-doses schedule 3 of COVID-19 Vaccine (Vero Cell), Inactivated; Biological: 2 doses of vaccine
Sponsors: China National Biotec Group Company Limited; Beijing Institute of Biological Products Co Ltd.
Not yet recruiting
Estradiol and Progesterone in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients - Condition: Covid19
Interventions: Other: Placebo injection and placebo pill; Drug: Estradiol Cypionate 5 MG/ML; Drug: Progesterone 200 MG Oral Capsule
Sponsor: Tulane University
Not yet recruiting
COVID-19 Close Contact Self-Testing Study - Condition: Covid19
Interventions: Behavioral: COVID-19 self-test; Behavioral: COVID-19 test referral
Sponsors: University of Pennsylvania; Public Health Management Corporation
Not yet recruiting
Detection of Covid-19 in Nasopharyngeal Swabs by Using Multi-Spectral Spectrophotometry - Condition: Covid19
Intervention: Diagnostic Test: AP-23
Sponsor: Fable Biyoteknoloji San ve Tic A.S
Recruiting
COVID-19 Vaccination Take-Up - Conditions: Covid19; Vaccination
Interventions: Behavioral: Financial incentives; Behavioral: Convenient scheduling link; Behavioral: Race concordant; Behavioral: Gender concordant
Sponsors: University of Southern California; Contra Costa Health Services; J-PAL North America, State and Local Innovation Initiative; National Bureau of Economic Research Roybal Center; National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Not yet recruiting
Safety and Immunogenicity of Demi-dose of Two Covid-19 mRNA Vaccines in Healthy Population - Condition: Covid19
Intervention: Diagnostic Test: immunogenicity after first and second dose
Sponsors: Sciensano; Mensura EDPB; Institute of Tropical Medicine, Belgium; Erasme University Hospital
Not yet recruiting
Remdesivir Efficacy In Management Of COVID-19 Patients - Condition: Covid19
Interventions: Drug: Remdesivir; Drug: Standard of care_1; Drug: Standard of care_2
Sponsor: Ain Shams University
Completed
Assessment of Efficacy of KAN-JANG® in Mild COVID-19 - Condition: Covid19
Interventions: Drug: Kan Jang capsules; Other: Placebo capsules
Sponsors: Swedish Herbal Institute AB; Tbilisi State Medical University; Phytomed AB
Not yet recruiting
Hydroxychloroquine for Treatment of Non-Severe COVID-19 - Condition: Covid19
Intervention: Drug: Hydroxychloroquine tablets
Sponsor: Makerere University
Active, not recruiting
Virucidal and antiviral effects of Thymus vulgaris essential oil on feline coronavirus - Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is a fatal systemic disease of felids caused by a Coronavirus (CoV) (FIPV). In spite of its clinical relevance and impact on feline health, currently the therapeutic possibilities for treatment of FIP in cats are limited. The emergence of the pandemic Severe Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) coronavirus (CoV) type 2 (SARS-CoV-2), etiological agent of the 2019 Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19), able to infect a broad spectrum of animal species including cats, triggered…
Astemizole as a drug to inhibit the effect of SARS-COV-2 in vitro - Since the beginning of December 2019, a novel Coronavirus severe respiratory disease, caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) which also been termed 2019-new CoV (2019-nCoV), has continued to spread worldwide. As of August 27, 2020, a total of 24,232,429 people have been infected and 826,518 people have died. In our study, we found that astemizole can antagonize ACE2 and inhibit the entry of SARS-COV-2 spike pseudovirus into ACE2-expressed HEK293T cells (ACE2hi…
Pharmacokinetics-based identification of pseudoaldosterogenic compounds originating from Glycyrrhiza uralensis roots (Gancao) after dosing LianhuaQingwen capsule - LianhuaQingwen capsule, prepared from an herbal combination, is officially recommended as treatment for COVID-19 in China. Of the serial pharmacokinetic investigations we designed to facilitate identifying LianhuaQingwen compounds that are likely to be therapeutically important, the current investigation focused on the component Glycyrrhiza uralensis roots (Gancao). Besides its function in COVID-19 treatment, Gancao is able to induce pseudoaldosteronism by inhibiting renal 11β-HSD2. Systemic and…
A monoclonal antibody against staphylococcal enterotoxin B superantigen inhibits SARS-CoV-2 entry in vitro - We recently discovered a superantigen-like motif sequentially and structurally similar to a staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) segment, near the S1/S2 cleavage site of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, which might explain the multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) observed in children and the cytokine storm in severe COVID-19 patients. We show here that an anti-SEB monoclonal antibody (mAb), 6D3, can bind this viral motif at its polybasic (PRRA) insert to inhibit infection in live virus assays….
Glycyrrhizic Acid Nanoparticles as Antiviral and Anti-inflammatory Agents for COVID-19 Treatment - COVID-19 has been diffusely pandemic around the world, characterized by massive morbidity and mortality. One of the remarkable threats associated with mortality may be the uncontrolled inflammatory processes, which were induced by SARS-CoV-2 in infected patients. As there are no specific drugs, exploiting safe and effective treatment strategies is an instant requirement to dwindle viral damage and relieve extreme inflammation simultaneously. Here, highly biocompatible glycyrrhizic acid (GA)…
Assessing Public Willingness to Wear Face Masks during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Fresh Insights from the Theory of Planned Behavior - Face masks are considered an effective intervention in controlling the spread of airborne viruses, as evidenced by the 2009’s H1N1 swine flu and 2003’s severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreaks. However, research aiming to examine public willingness to wear (WTW) face masks in Pakistan are scarce. The current research aims to overcome this research void and contributes by expanding the theoretical mechanism of theory of planned behavior (TPB) to include three novel dimensions (risk…
Next-Generation Probiotics and Their Metabolites in COVID-19 - Since December 2019, a global pandemic has been observed, caused by the emergence of a new coronavirus, SARS CoV-2. The latter is responsible for the respiratory disease, COVID-19. The infection is also characterized by renal, hepatic, and gastrointestinal dysfunctions suggesting the spread of the virus to other organs. A dysregulated immune response was also reported. To date, there is no measure to treat or prevent SARS CoV-2 infection. Additionally, as gut microbiota composition is altered in…
Plasmids Expressing shRNAs Specific to the Nucleocapsid Gene Inhibit the Replication of Porcine Deltacoronavirus In Vivo - Porcine deltacoronavirus (PDCoV) is a novel enteric coronavirus and is becoming one of the major causative agents of diarrhea in pig herds in recent years. To date, there are no commercial vaccines or antiviral pharmaceutical agents available to control PDCoV infection. Therefore, developing a reliable strategy against PDCoV is urgently needed. In this study, to observe the antiviral activity of RNA interference (RNAi), four short hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) specific to the nucleocapsid (N) gene of…
Baicalein and Baicalin Inhibit SARS-CoV-2 RNA-Dependent-RNA Polymerase - Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a deadly emerging infectious disease caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Because SARS-CoV-2 is easily transmitted through the air and has a relatively long incubation time, COVID-19 has rapidly developed into a global pandemic. As there are no antiviral agents for the prevention and treatment of this severe pathogen except for remdesivir, development of antiviral therapies to treat infected individuals remains highly…
Inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 Virus Entry by the Crude Polysaccharides of Seaweeds and Abalone Viscera In Vitro - Much attention is being devoted to the potential of marine sulfated polysaccharides as antiviral agents in preventing COVID-19. In this study, sulfated fucoidan and crude polysaccharides, extracted from six seaweed species (Undaria pinnatifida sporophyll, Laminaria japonica, Hizikia fusiforme, Sargassum horneri, Codium fragile, Porphyra tenera) and Haliotis discus hannai (abalone viscera), were screened for their inhibitory activity against SARS-CoV-2 virus entry. Most of them showed significant…
Pharmacological Modulators of Autophagy as a Potential Strategy for the Treatment of COVID-19 - The family of coronaviruses (CoVs) uses the autophagy machinery of host cells to promote their growth and replication; thus, this process stands out as a potential target to combat COVID-19. Considering the different roles of autophagy during viral infection, including SARS-CoV-2 infection, in this review, we discuss several clinically used drugs that have effects at different stages of autophagy. Among them, we mention (1) lysosomotropic agents, which can prevent CoVs infection by alkalinizing…
Molecular Simulation-Based Investigation of Highly Potent Natural Products to Abrogate Formation of the nsp10-nsp16 Complex of SARS-CoV-2 - The SARS-CoV-2 non-structural protein (nsp) nsp10-nsp16 complex is essential for the 2’-O-methylation of viral mRNA, a crucial step for evading the innate immune system, and it is an essential process in SARS-CoV-2 life cycle. Therefore, detecting molecules that can disrupt the nsp10-nsp16 interaction are prospective antiviral drugs. In this study, we screened the North African Natural Products database (NANPDB) for molecules that can interact with the nsp10 interface and disturb the nsp10-nsp16…
The Effect of Proinflammatory Cytokines on the Proliferation, Migration and Secretory Activity of Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal Cells (WJ-MSCs) under 5% O(2) and 21% O(2) Culture Conditions - Treatment with Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal Cells (MSCs) in clinical trials is becoming one of the most-popular and fast-developing branches of modern regenerative medicine, as it is still in an experimental phase. The cross-section of diseases to which these cells are applied is very wide, ranging from degenerative diseases, through autoimmune processes and to acute inflammatory diseases, e.g., viral infections. Indeed, now that first clinical trials applying MSCs against COVID-19 have started,…
Supramolecular cylinders target bulge structures in the 5’ UTR of the RNA genome of SARS-CoV-2 and inhibit viral replication - The untranslated regions (UTRs) of viral genomes contain a variety of conserved yet dynamic structures crucial for viral replication, providing drug targets for the development of broad spectrum anti-virals. We combine RNA analysis with Molecular Dynamics simulations to build the first 3D models of the structure and dynamics of key regions of the 5’ UTR of the SARS-CoV-2 genome. Furthermore, we determine the binding of metallo-supramolecular helicates (cylinders) to this RNA structure. These…
Detection of binding sites on SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein receptor-binding domain by molecular dynamics simulations in mixed solvents - The novel SARS-CoV-2 uses the ACE2 (Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2) receptor as an entry point. Insights on S protein receptor-binding domain (RBD) interaction with ACE2 receptor and drug repurposing has accelerated drug discovery for the novel SARS-CoV-2 infection. Finding small molecule binding sites in the S protein and ACE2 interface is crucial in the search of effective drugs to prevent viral entry. In this study, we employed molecular dynamics simulations in mixed solvents together with…
A COMPREHENSIVE DISINFECTION SYSTEM DURING PANDEMIC FOR PERSONAL ITEMS AND PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT (PPE) TO SAFEGUARD PEOPLE - The current Covid-19 pandemic has led to an enormous demand for gadgets / objects for personal protection. To prevent the spread of virus, it is important to disinfect commonly touched objects. One of the ways suggested is to use a personal UV-C disinfecting box that is “efficient and effective in deactivating the COVID-19 virus. The present model has implemented the use of a UV transparent material (fused silica quartz glass tubes) as the medium of support for the objects to be disinfected to increase the effectiveness of disinfection without compromising the load bearing capacity. Aluminum foil, a UV reflecting material, was used as the inner lining of the box for effective utilization of the UVC light emitted by the UVC lamps. Care has been taken to prevent leakage of UVC radiation out of the system. COVID-19 virus can be inactivated in 5 minutes by UVC irradiation in this disinfection box - link
USE OF IMINOSUGAR COMPOUND IN PREPARATION OF ANTI-SARS-COV-2 VIRUS DRUG - - link
Compositions and methods for the treatment of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) infection - - link
METHOD FOR QUANTIFICATION OF PIRFENIDONE, A COVID-19 ANTI-FIBROTIC AGENT, BY SENSITIVE ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES - This invention relates to the development of specific methods for quantification of pirfenidone, an anti-fibrotic drug which is used to treat Covid-19 for curing lung infections. Ultra-Violet spectroscopy detection and quantification conducted using HPLC grade water as solvent. Linearity constructed for the concentration range of 3-15µL for UV spectroscopy, 2-10 µg/ml for HPLC using methanol as diluent and 5-25µg/ml using methanol as diluent for HPTLC. The chromatographic system comprised of HPLC system equipped with quaternary gradient pump and Shim-Pack GIST C18 (250X 4.6 mm, 5µm) column with PDA detector monitored at 310nm. HPTLC performed on silica gel 60 F254 plates using mobile phase in the ratio of toluene and methanol 8:2 v/v. Analytical method validation done according to ICH Q2 (R1) guidelines. System suitability, intraday precision and inter day precision calculations performed and reported which found to be within limits (%RSD<2%). Recovery studies performed and amount recovered is found between 98.20-102.20%. - link
5-(4-TERT-BUTOXY PHENYL)-3-(4N-OCTYLOXYPHENYL)-4,5-DIHYDROISOXAZOLE MOLECULE (C-I): A PROMISING DRUG FOR SARS-COV-2 (TARGET I) AND BLOOD CANCER (TARGET II) - The present invention relates to a method ofmolecular docking of crystalline compound (C-I) with SARS-COV 2 proteins and its repurposing with proteins of blood cancer, comprising the steps of ; employing an algorithmto carry molecular docking calculations of the crystalized compound (C-I); studying the compound computationally to understand the effect of binding groups with the atoms of the amino acids on at least four target proteins of SARS-COV 2; downloading the structure of the proteins; removing water molecules, co enzymes and inhibitors attached to the enzymes; drawing the structure using Chem Sketch software; converting the mol file into a PDB file; using crystalized compound (C-I) for comparative and drug repurposing with two other mutated proteins; docking compound into the groove of the proteins; saving format of docked molecules retrieved; and filtering and docking the best docked results. - link
新闻传播速度测评方法和系统 - 本发明实施例提供一种新闻传播速度测评方法和系统，核心是基于新闻媒体权重计算新闻事件主题的传播速度，再通过聚类分析确定传播速度测评体系，最后评定新闻事件主题的传播等级。其中方法包括：确定待测评的新闻事件主题，获取新闻事件主题的新闻数据；基于新闻数据中每一新闻文本的传播媒体信息，计算新闻事件主题的初始传播速度；基于初始传播速度，以及预先设定的传播速度测评体系，确定新闻事件主题的传播速度等级；其中，传播速度测评体系包括多个传播速度等级与初始传播速度之间的对应关系。本发明实施例提供的方法和系统，实现了基于大数据的新闻事件舆情监测，能够有效提高新闻事件舆情响应效率，有利于决策管理者及时做出舆情应对。 - link
AQUEOUS ZINC OXIDE NANOSPRAY COMPOSITIONS - Disclosed herein is aqueous zinc oxide nano spray compositions comprising zinc oxide nanoparticles and a synthetic surfactant for controlling the spread of Covid-19 virus. - link
Bettverlängerungssystem (1) für in Bauchlage beatmungspflichtige Patienten in Gestalt mit zumindest einer Platte (16), dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Platte (16) im Kopflagerungsbereich einen Luftwegezugangsdurchbruch (8) mit einem den Luftwegezugangsdurchbruch (8) umgebenden Auflagerbereich für ein durchbrochenes Kopfauflagepolster (14) aufweist, durch den von der Bettunterseite her und durch das Kopfauflagepolster (14) hindurch die Ver- und Entsorgungsschläuche für eine orotracheale Intubation oder eine nasotracheale Intubation ventral an das Gesicht des Patienten herangeführt werden können, und dass die Platte (16) im Bereich ihrer dem Kopfende eines Bettrosts (15) zugeordneten Stirnseite (6) ein Fixierelement (2) zur Befestigung der Platte (16) am Bettrost (15) nach Art eines einseitig frei über das Kopfende des Bettrosts hinausragenden Kragträgers aufweist.
一种肝素类药物组合物、喷鼻剂及其制备方法及应用 - 本发明公开了一种肝素类药物组合物、喷鼻剂及其制备方法及应用。该肝素类药物组合物包括肝素钠和阿比朵尔。本发明中的肝素类药物组合物首次采用肝素钠和阿比朵尔联合使用，普通肝素钠联合1μM/L以上的阿比朵尔病毒抑制效率显著高于单独普通肝素钠或单独阿比多尔组（p<0.05）。 - link
USING CLINICAL ONTOLOGIES TO BUILD KNOWLEDGE BASED CLINICAL DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR NOVEL CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) WITH THE ADOPTION OF TELECONFERENCING FOR THE PRIMARY HEALTH CENTRES/SATELLITE CLINICS OF ROYAL OMAN POLICE IN SULTANATE OF OMAN - - link