Covid-19 Sentry

Contents

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

From Preprints

• Guillain-Barré Syndrome: A Case Report of Post Covid-19 Vaccination in the Philippines -
  Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) is a complex autoimmune disorder where a person’s own immune system damages the nerve and is usually characterized by ascending symmetrical weakness of the upper and lower extremities (Wijdicks & Klein, 2017). It is a rare condition and the worldwide frequency of GBS is only 2 in 100,000 adult individuals (McGrogan et al., 2009). Studies have shown its association with different vaccines but in these pandemic times, there is a lack of literature on post-COVID-19 vaccination-associated GBS. We report a case of a 68-year-old male from Caloocan City with an initial complaint of febrile illness followed by distal lower extremity weakness which started seven (7) days after the patient received his first Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccine. We report a case of GBS that is related to the Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccine which adds to the body of literature that is currently available and may reflect a possible link.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Guillain-Barré Syndrome: A Case Report of Post Covid-19 Vaccination in the Philippines
• Government in the Money View: Sovereign Debt, Liquidity Preference, and the Fiscal-Monetary Nexus -
  In times of financial crisis, we expect monetary authorities to provide liquidity support to banks at risk of failure. However, governments often provide monetary support to banks at risk of failure through guarantees and direct lending to financial institutions, often in tandem with monetary authorities. At the same time, governments may require liquidity support in moments of crisis, when cyclical deficits rise, and bond market activity constrains access to funding. This paper introduces governments’ activity into both the Post-Keynesian theory of endogenous money as well as Mehrling’s ‘Money View’ of the economy. It demonstrates how government activity becomes more important during periods of heightened liquidity preference through its support of financial institutions, while governments may simultaneously become more vulnerable to private bondholders increased liquidity preference. Some governments are likely to face greater obstacles in providing liquidity and accessing funding in times of economic uncertainty, while others may find their ability to provide liquidity is bolstered by popular perceptions of their credit worthiness. Recent experiences during the Global Financial Crisis, the Eurozone Crisis, and the COVID-19 Crisis illustrate the importance of understanding the monetary and financial factors that may constrain governments’ abilities to fund deficits, especially given the importance of fiscal expenditure as a stabilizing economic force, or as a potential driver of economic development.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Government in the Money View: Sovereign Debt, Liquidity Preference, and the Fiscal-Monetary Nexus
• Recommendation for dual peer-reviewing in science journals supported by two interpretations of Jacques Derrida’s critical thinking and not so-tiring queries of Michel Foucault -
  Abstract A short u-tube presentation on discovering a new allotrope of carbon, subsequently published in the journal Science is the motivation to recommend dual peer-reviewing in science journals. Journals have anonymous and non-anonymous submissions. The non-anonymous submission with authors and affiliations is recommended for a single-blind oral peer review by technology preceded by the popular double-blind peer review of the anonymous submission. This paper has two parts. Part 1 describes the procedure for single-blind oral peer review. Jacques Derrida’s exclusivity in writing is used as an analogy for the exclusion of data points. Two interpretations of Derrida’s critical thinking and not-so-tiring queries of Michel Foucault are invoked in part 2 to bring out the effectiveness of the single-blind oral peer review. Foucault lists queries describing them as “No longer the tiresome repetitions” in his seminal essay “What is an author?” However, two queries are relevant to retracted papers on hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19, with one significant to non-native speakers of English for the single-blind oral peer review. Paying peer reviewers, communicated in the journal “Lancet,” is discussed considering the enormous profits made by publishers. The reported nomenclature “actual investigator” alongside ‘principal investigator’ is recommended since it presents a better equity balance than author for journal publications. If dual peer reviewing is feasible, will it clear the chinks in metrics and result in new metrics?
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Recommendation for dual peer-reviewing in science journals supported by two interpretations of Jacques Derrida’s critical thinking and not so-tiring queries of Michel Foucault
• Predicting COVID-19 mortality in Zambia - an Application of Machine Learning -
  Background: The Corona virus, has caused havoc all over the world, it has left no country untouched resulting in millions of cases and deaths. In an effort to fight back, scientist and public health professionals have used every form of advancing technology to curb the spread, predict the unforeseen adverse events, improve preparedness, and bring the world under control once more. Objective: The objective of this study was to predict mortality in hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Zambia using ML methods from a number of predictors that have been shown to be predictive of mortality. Methods: This research used powerful ML models in predicting COVID-19 mortality in 1,433 hospitalized patients in Zambia. The feature importance analysis helped in identification of important factors. The ML models GB, RF, SVM, DT, LR, and NB were used the performance metrics checked for each model were accuracy, recall, specificity, precision, F1 Score, ROC-AUC, and PRC-AUC. Results: The feature importance analysis found that hospital length of stay (LOS) and white blood cell count were the most influential features, other factors arranged in order of reducing importance included: age, wave, diabetes, hypertension, and sex. The GB achieved accuracy of 91.5%, recall of 93.6%, F1 Score of 91.7%, and ROC-AUC of 96.9%. The RF achieved accuracy of 90.9%, recall of 93.8%, F1 Score of 91.2%, and ROC-AUC of 96.8%. The SVM achieved accuracy of 87.8%, recall of 91.2%, F1 Score of 88.2%, and ROC-AUC of 94.1%. The accuracy and ROC-AUC of other models were 88.2% and 90.7% respectively for DT, 81.9% and 90.1% respectively for LR, and 79.2% and 86.9% respectively for NB. Conclusion: The study successfully derived and validated multiple ML models that predicted mortality effectively with reasonably high performance in stated metrics. The GB was the best suited for the data in our study. GB was thus recommended for similar studies with RF as best alternative. Knowledge of underlying health conditions about patients (length of hospitalization (LOS), white blood cell count, age, sex, hypertension, diabetes, and other factors) can help healthcare providers offer lifesaving services on time, improve preparedness and decongest health facilities.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Predicting COVID-19 mortality in Zambia - an Application of Machine Learning
• Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 and co-occurrence/co-infection with malaria during the first wave of the pandemic (the Burkina Faso case) -

  Africa accounts for 1.5% of the global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases and 2.7% of deaths, but this low incidence has been partly attributed to the limited testing capacity in most countries. In addition, the population in many African countries is at high risk of infection with endemic infectious diseases such as malaria. Our aim is to determine the prevalence and circulation of SARS-CoV-2 variants, and the frequency of co-infection with the malaria parasite. We conducted serological tests and microscopy examinations on 998 volunteers of different ages and sexes in a random and stratified population sample in Burkina-Faso. In addition, nasopharyngeal samples were taken for RT-qPCR of SARS-COV-2 and for whole viral genome sequencing. Our results show a 3.2% and a 2.5% of SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence and PCR positivity; and 22% of malaria incidence, over the sampling period, with marked differences linked to age. Importantly, we found 2 cases of confirmed co-infection and 8 cases of suspected co-infection mostly in children and teenagers. Finally, we report the genome sequences of 13 SARS-CoV-2 isolates circulating in Burkina Faso at the time of analysis, assigned to lineages: A.19, A.21, B.1.1.404, B.1.1.118, B.1 and grouped into clades; 19B, 20A and 20B. This is the first population-based study about SARS-CoV-2 and malaria in Burkina Faso during the first wave of the pandemic, providing a relevant estimation of the real prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 and variants circulating in this Sub-Saharan African country. Besides, it highlights the low frequency of co-infection with malaria in African communities.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 and co-occurrence/co-infection with malaria during the first wave of the pandemic (the Burkina Faso case)
• Host immunological responses facilitate development of SARS-CoV-2 mutations in patients receiving monoclonal antibody treatments -

  The role of host immunity in emergence of evasive SARS-CoV-2 Spike mutations under therapeutic monoclonal antibody (mAb) pressure remains to be explored. Here, we show that patients treated with various anti-SARS-CoV-2 mAb regimens develop evasive Spike mutations with remarkable speed and high specificity to the targeted mAb-binding sites. Mutations develop more frequently in immunocompromised patients and strongly correlate not only with neutralizing capacity of the therapeutic mAbs, but also with an anti-inflammatory and healing-promoting host milieu. We further built and deploy machine-learning models on host-derived biomarkers that identify patients at high risk of developing escape mutations against therapeutic mAbs with high accuracy. While our data suggest that host-driven responses are essential for development of mutant SARS-CoV-2, the mechanisms and models described here could also be utilized to reduce risk of treatment failure in high-risk populations receiving anti-SARS-CoV-2 mAb treatments and improve mitigation strategies for possible dissemination of escape SARS-CoV-2 mutants.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Host immunological responses facilitate development of SARS-CoV-2 mutations in patients receiving monoclonal antibody treatments
• PrimedSherlock: A tool for rapid design of highly specific CRISPR-Cas12 crRNAs -
  Background CRISPR-Cas based diagnostic assays provide a portable solution which bridges the benefits of qRT-PCR and serological assays in terms of portability, specificity and ease of use. CRISPR-Cas assays are rapidly fieldable, specific and have been rigorously validated against a number of targets, including HIV and vector-borne pathogens. Recently, CRISPR-Cas12 and CRISPR-Cas13 diagnostic assays have been granted FDA approval for the detection of SARS-CoV-2. A critical step in utilizing this technology requires the design of highly-specific and efficient CRISPR RNAs (crRNAs) and isothermal primers. This process involves intensive manual curation and stringent parameters for design in order to minimize off-target detection while also preserving detection across divergent strains. As such, a single, streamlined bioinformatics platform for rapidly designing crRNAs for use with the CRISPR-Cas12 platform is needed. Here we offer PrimedSherlock, an automated, computer guided process for selecting highly-specific crRNAs and primers for targets of interest. Results Utilizing PrimedSherlock and publicly available databases, crRNAs were designed against a selection of Flavivirus genomes, including West Nile, Zika and all four serotypes of Dengue. Using outputs from PrimedSherlock in concert with both wildtype A.s Cas12a and Alt-R Cas12a Ultra nucleases, we demonstrated sensitive detection of nucleic acids of each respective arbovirus in in-vitro fluorescence assays. Moreover, primer and crRNA combinations facilitated the detection of their intended targets with minimal off-target background noise. Conclusions PrimedSherlock is a novel crRNA design tool, specific for CRISPR-Cas12 diagnostic platforms. It allows for the rapid identification of highly conserved crRNA targets from user-provided primer pairs or PrimedRPA output files. Initial testing of crRNAs against arboviruses of medical importance demonstrated a robust ability to distinguish multiple strains by exploiting polymorphisms within otherwise highly conserved genomic regions. As a freely-accessible software package, PrimedSherlock could significantly increase the efficiency of CRISPR-Cas12 diagnostics. Conceptually, the portability of detection kits could also be enhanced when coupled with isothermal amplification technologies.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: PrimedSherlock: A tool for rapid design of highly specific CRISPR-Cas12 crRNAs
• Deep mutational scans for ACE2 binding, RBD expression, and antibody escape in the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 receptor-binding domains -
  SARS-CoV-2 continues to acquire mutations in the spike receptor-binding domain (RBD) that impact ACE2 receptor binding, folding stability, and antibody recognition. Deep mutational scanning prospectively characterizes the impacts of mutations on these biochemical properties, enabling rapid assessment of new mutations seen during viral surveillance. However, the effects of mutations can change as the virus evolves, requiring updated deep mutational scans. We determined the impacts of all amino acid mutations in the Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 RBDs on ACE2-binding affinity, RBD folding, and escape from binding by the LY-CoV1404 (bebtelovimab) monoclonal antibody. The effects of some mutations in Omicron RBDs differ from those measured in the ancestral Wuhan-Hu-1 background. These epistatic shifts largely resemble those previously seen in the Beta variant due to the convergent epistatically modifying N501Y substitution. However, Omicron variants show additional lineage-specific shifts, including examples of the epistatic phenomenon of entrenchment that causes the Q498R and N501Y substitutions present in Omicron to be more favorable in that background than in earlier viral strains. In contrast, the Omicron substitution Q493R exhibits no sign of entrenchment, with the derived state, R493, being as unfavorable for ACE2 binding in Omicron RBDs as in Wuhan-Hu- 1. Likely for this reason, the R493Q reversion has occurred in Omicron sub-variants including BA.4/BA.5 and BA.2.75, where the affinity buffer from R493Q reversion may potentiate concurrent antigenic change. Consistent with prior studies, we find that Omicron RBDs have reduced expression, and identify candidate stabilizing mutations that ameliorate this deficit. Last, our maps highlight a broadening of the sites of escape from LY-CoV1404 antibody binding in BA.1 and BA.2 compared to the ancestral Wuhan-Hu-1 background. These BA.1 and BA.2 deep mutational scanning datasets identify shifts in the RBD mutational landscape and inform ongoing efforts in viral surveillance.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Deep mutational scans for ACE2 binding, RBD expression, and antibody escape in the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 receptor-binding domains
• Age-Associated B cells predict impaired humoral immunity after COVID-19 vaccination in patients receiving immune checkpoint blockade -

  The effect of immune checkpoint blockade on COVID-19 immunity is unclear. In this study, we determine whether immune checkpoint blockade expanded age-associated B cells (ABCs) are similar to those present in other conditions, and whether they enhance or detract from the COVID-19 vaccine responses. First, we use single cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) to show that ABCs arising from distinct aetiologies have common transcriptional profiles and may be further subdivided according to expression of genes associated with different immune functions, including the autoimmune regulator (AIRE). Next, we perform detailed longitudinal profiling of the COVID-19 vaccination response in patients. Finally, we show that high pre-vaccination ABC frequency correlates with decreased levels of antigen-specific memory B cells, and reduced magnitude and longevity of neutralising capacity against authentic SARS-CoV-2 virus. Expansion of ABCs is a biomarker for individuals with cancer requiring additional or more frequent booster immunisation against COVID-19.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Age-Associated B cells predict impaired humoral immunity after COVID-19 vaccination in patients receiving immune checkpoint blockade
• Is the Sars-CoV-2 virus a possible trigger agent for the development of achalasia? -

  Introduction: Previous studies have suggested that achalasia is an autoimmune disease whose probable causal agent is a neurotropic virus that chronically infects the myenteric plexus of the esophagus and, in a genetically susceptible host, induces the disease. The association between achalasia and coronaviruses has not been reported in the literature. Objective: To evaluate the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the ACE2 expression, the tissue architecture, and immune response in the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) muscle of patients with achalasia who had SARS-CoV-2 infection before laparoscopic Heller myotomy (LHM) and compare the findings with patients with type II achalasia and transplant donors (controls) without COVID-19. Material and Methods: The LES muscle of 7 patients with achalasia who had SARS-CoV-2 infection before LHM (diagnosed by PCR), ten patients with achalasia, and ten transplant donors (controls) without COVID-19 were included. The presence of the virus was evaluated by in situ PCR and immunohistochemistry. ACE2 receptor expression and CD4 T cell and regulatory subsets were determined by immunohistochemistry. Results: All patients had type II achalasia. Coronavirus was detected in 6/7 patients who had COVID-19. The SARS-CoV-2 was undetectable in the LES muscle of the achalasia patients and transplant donors (controls). The ACE2 receptor was expressed in all the patients and controls. One patient developed achalasia type II post-COVID-19. The percentage of Th22, Th17, Th1, and pDCreg was higher in achalasia and achalasia-COVID-19 pre-HLM vs. transplant donors. The Th2, Treg, and Breg cell percentages were higher only in achalasia vs. transplant donors. Conclusion: The presence of the SARS-CoV2 and its receptor in the LES muscle of patients with type II achalasia who had COVID-19 pre-LHM but not in the controls suggests that it could affect the myenteric plexus. Unlike patients with achalasia, patients who had COVID-19 have an imbalance between effector CD4 T cells and the regulatory mechanisms.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Is the Sars-CoV-2 virus a possible trigger agent for the development of achalasia?
• The impact of cross-reactive immunity on the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants -

  A key feature of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants with different transmission characteristics. However, when a novel variant arrives in a host population, it will not necessarily lead to many cases. Instead, it may fade out, due to stochastic effects and the level of immunity in the population. Immunity against novel SARS-CoV-2 variants may be influenced by prior exposures to related viruses, such as other SARS-CoV-2 variants and seasonal coronaviruses, and the level of cross-reactive immunity conferred by those exposures. Here, we investigate the impact of cross-reactive immunity on the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants in a simplified scenario in which a novel SARS-CoV-2 variant is introduced after an antigenically related virus has spread in the population. We use mathematical modelling to explore the risk that the novel variant invades the population and causes a large number of cases, as opposed to fading out. If cross-reactive immunity is complete (i.e. someone infected by the previously circulating virus is no longer susceptible to the novel variant), the novel variant must be more transmissible than the previous virus to invade the population. However, in a more realistic scenario in which cross-reactive immunity is partial, we show that it is possible for novel variants to invade, even if they are less transmissible than previously circulating viruses. This is because partial cross-reactive immunity effectively increases the pool of susceptible hosts that are available to the novel variant compared to complete cross-reactive immunity. Furthermore, if previous infection with the antigenically related virus assists the establishment of infection with the novel variant, as has been proposed following some experimental studies, then even variants with very limited transmissibility are able to invade the host population. Our results highlight that fast assessment of the level of cross-reactive immunity conferred by related viruses on novel SARS-CoV-2 variants is an essential component of novel variant risk assessments.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: The impact of cross-reactive immunity on the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants
• Responding to disruption: Exploring the transition to telehealth in mental-health occupational therapy during the COVID-19 pandemic -

  Background COVID-19 presented significant challenges for occupational therapy (OT) services in Ireland. Public health guidelines necessitated a transition of services from face-to-face delivery to the use of telehealth modalities. Telehealth has yet to be extensively researched within mental health OT, with a particular need for an increased understanding of therapeutic processes when conducted remotely. Aim To explore the experiences of occupational therapists transitioning to telehealth service provision. Material and Methods This study employed a qualitative, descriptive design to examine the experiences of therapists transitioning from face-to-face to telehealth services within a mental health service. Data was collected using comprehensive, semi-structured interviews with four participants and analysed thematically. Results This study yielded three major themes: 1) responding to disruption, 2) reconsidering practice with technology and 3) therapeutic use of the 9virtual self9. Conclusions Adaptation to telehealth provision requires planned, gradual transition but offers unique opportunities for therapeutic engagement. How space is considered in therapy as well as therapists9 communication styles are components of practice which are altered when conducted remotely. Significance The disruption caused by COVID-19 presented opportunities for considering the delivery of OT services. As services emerge from social restrictions it is likely that their recent experiences will be utilised in reconfiguring the future delivery of mental-health OT services.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Responding to disruption: Exploring the transition to telehealth in mental-health occupational therapy during the COVID-19 pandemic
• Improved Robustness of SARS-CoV-2 Whole-Genome Sequencing from Wastewater with a Nonselective Virus Concentration Method -

  The sequencing of human virus genomes from wastewater samples is an efficient method for tracking viral transmission and evolution at the community level. However, this requires the recovery of viral nucleic acids of high quality. We developed a reusable tangential-flow filtration system to concentrate and purify viruses from wastewater for whole-genome sequencing. A pilot study was conducted with 94 wastewater samples from four local sewersheds, from which viral nucleic acids were extracted, and the whole genome of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was sequenced using the ARTIC V4.0 primers. Our method yielded a high probability (0.9) of recovering complete or near-complete SARS-CoV-2 genomes (>90% coverage at 10× depth) from wastewater when the COVID-19 incidence rate exceeded 33 cases per 100 000 people. The relative abundances of sequenced SARS-CoV-2 variants followed the trends observed from patient-derived samples. We also identified SARS-CoV-2 lineages in wastewater that were underrepresented or not present in the clinical whole-genome sequencing data. The developed tangential-flow filtration system can be easily adopted for the sequencing of other viruses in wastewater, particularly those at low concentrations.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Improved Robustness of SARS-CoV-2 Whole-Genome Sequencing from Wastewater with a Nonselective Virus Concentration Method
• Eight Hypotheses on Technology Use and Mental Wellbeing: A Bicultural Phenomenological Study of Gaming during the COVID-19 Pandemic -
  In this nonconfirmatory qualitative study, we pursued a range of hypotheses regarding how gaming operates in the lives and psychosocial wellbeing of those who actively play videogames during a crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Informed by an explorative survey (N = 793), interpretive phenomenological analysis was applied to interview data from actively gaming Chinese (n = 10) and Finnish (n = 10) participants. Our findings demonstrate how the general increase of pandemic-time gaming did not manifest in all player groups, but in some life contexts gaming activity rather decreased along with reformations in subjective meaning hierarchies and values. Ultimately, eight subordinate themes were refined into testable hypotheses. The study encourages policies that promote socially supportive gaming during pandemic-like situations to consider including personally meaningful solitary play in their recommendations and highlighting context-specificity over generalization. As almost all our data points echoing experiences of decreasing gaming activity came from China, we finally stress the importance of culturally diverse samples in the psychological study of global phenomena.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Eight Hypotheses on Technology Use and Mental Wellbeing: A Bicultural Phenomenological Study of Gaming during the COVID-19 Pandemic
• Outbreaks and outgroups: Three tests of the relationship between disease avoidance motives and xenophobia during an emerging pandemic. -
  Given the persistent threat posed by infectious disease throughout human history, people have a sophisticated suite of cognitive and behavioral strategies designed to mitigate exposure to disease vectors. Previous research suggests that one such strategy is avoidance of unfamiliar outgroup members. We thus examined the relationship between dispositional worry about disease and support for COVID-19-related travel bans across three preregistered studies (N = 764) conducted at the outset of the pandemic in the United States and Singapore. Americans higher in Perceived Infectability were more supportive of travel bans, whereas Singaporeans higher in Germ Aversion were more supportive of travel bans. In Study 2, priming saliency of the pandemic increased support for travel bans from high (but not low) pandemic-risk countries. This prime did not increase general xenophobia. These results are consistent with threat-specific perspectives of outgroup avoidance, and provide an ecologically-valid test of the implications of perceived disease threat for policy-related attitudes and decision-making.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Outbreaks and outgroups: Three tests of the relationship between disease avoidance motives and xenophobia during an emerging pandemic.

From Clinical Trials

• Association Between Smell Training and Quality of Life in Patients With Impaired Sense of Smell Following COVID-19 - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Other: Olfactory training with essential oils;   Other: Olfactory training with fragrance-free oils
  Sponsor:   Ditte Gertz Mogensen
  Recruiting

• COVID-19 Fourth Dose Study in Australia - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Biological: Tozinameran;   Biological: Elasomeran;   Biological: Bivalent Pfizer-BioNTech;   Biological: Bivalent Moderna
  Sponsors:   Murdoch Childrens Research Institute;   Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations;   The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
  Not yet recruiting

• Safety and Effects of an Investigational COVID-19 Vaccine as a Booster in Healthy People - Conditions:   SARS-CoV-2 Infection;   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Biological: BNT162b5 Bivalent or BNT162b2 Bivalent 30 µg;   Biological: BNT162b4 5 µg;   Biological: BNT162b4 10 µg;   Biological: BNT162b4 15 µg
  Sponsors:   BioNTech SE;   Pfizer
  Not yet recruiting

• Trial of 2nd Booster Dose of COVID-19 Vaccine - Condition:   COVID-19
  Intervention:   Other: Invitation to get a 2nd booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine
  Sponsor:   Norwegian Institute of Public Health
  Not yet recruiting

• SCALE-UP Utah II: Community-Academic Partnership to Address COVID-19 Text Message Study - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Behavioral: Text-Messaging (TM);   Behavioral: Patient Navigation (PN)
  Sponsors:   University of Utah;   Utah Department of Health;   Association for Utah Community Health;   National Institutes of Health (NIH);   National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)
  Not yet recruiting

• SCALE-UP Utah II: Community-Academic Partnership to Address COVID-19 Conversational Agent Study - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Behavioral: Text-Messaging (TM);   Behavioral: Conversational Agent (CA);   Behavioral: Patient Navigation (PN)
  Sponsors:   University of Utah;   Utah Department of Health;   Association for Utah Community Health;   National Institutes of Health (NIH);   National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)
  Not yet recruiting

• PBI-0451 Phase 2 Study in Nonhospitalized Symptomatic Adults With COVID-19 - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Drug: PBI-0451;   Drug: Placebo
  Sponsor:   Pardes Biosciences, Inc.
  Recruiting

• Evaluating the Safety and Efficacy of AD17002 Intranasal Spray in Treating Participants With Mild to Moderate COVID-19 - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Biological: AD17002 + Formulation buffer;   Biological: Placebo
  Sponsors:   Advagene Biopharma Co. Ltd.;   Gadjah Mada University
  Not yet recruiting

• Community-Based Health Education Programs for the Early Detection of, and Vaccination Against, COVID-19 and the Adoption of Self-Protective Measures of Hong Kong Residents - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Behavioral: Community-based Health Education based on core intervention package;   Behavioral: Health Information Sharing Group
  Sponsors:   The Hong Kong Polytechnic University;   Food and Health Bureau, Hong Kong
  Recruiting

• Simvastatin Nasal Rinses for the Treatment of COVID-19 Mediated Dysomsia - Conditions:   Olfactory Disorder;   COVID-19
  Intervention:   Drug: Simvastatin
  Sponsors:   Washington University School of Medicine;   Duke University
  Not yet recruiting

• Multidisciplinary Day-hospital Versus Waiting List Management of Post-COVID-19 Persistent Symptoms (ECHAP-COVID) - Condition:   Post COVID-19 Condition
  Intervention:   Behavioral: Personalized multidisciplinary day-hospital intervention
  Sponsor:   Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris
  Not yet recruiting

• Efficacy and Safety Evaluation of Paxlovid for COVID-19: a Real-world Case-control Study - Condition:   COVID-19 Pneumonia
  Interventions:   Drug: standard-of-care plus Paxlovid;   Drug: standard-of-care
  Sponsor:   Ruijin Hospital
  Recruiting

• Booster Study of PTX-COVID19-B in Adults Aged 18 Years and Older - Condition:   SARS-CoV-2 Infection
  Interventions:   Biological: PTX-COVID19-B;   Biological: Comirnaty®
  Sponsor:   Everest Medicines (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
  Not yet recruiting

• Booster Superiority Study of PTX-COVID19-B Compared to Vaxzevria® in Adults Aged 18 Years and Older - Condition:   SARS-CoV-2 Infection
  Interventions:   Biological: PTX-COVID19-B;   Biological: Vaxzevria®
  Sponsor:   Everest Medicines (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
  Not yet recruiting

• Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation in Post-acute COVID-19 Syndrome - Condition:   Post Acute COVID-19 Syndrome
  Interventions:   Other: Cardiopulmonary rehabilitation;   Other: Health education
  Sponsor:   Taipei Medical University Shuang Ho Hospital
  Not yet recruiting

From PubMed

• Estimating the binding energetics of reversible covalent inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 main protease: an in silico study - The main protease (M^(pro)) of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is an attractive therapeutic target for developing antivirals to combat COVID-19. M^(pro) is essential for the replication cycle of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, so inhibiting M^(pro) blocks a vital piece of the cell replication machinery of the virus. A promising strategy to disrupt the viral replication cycle is to design inhibitors that bind to the active site cysteine (Cys145) of the M^(pro). Cysteine targeted covalent inhibitors are gaining…

• The Impact of Colchicine on COVID-19 patients: A Clinical Trial Study - CONCLUSION: Colchicine can be effective in amelioration of systemic symptoms and duration of hospitalisation probably by inhibition of inflammatory biomarkers in COVID-19 patients.

• Rational Design of an anti-cancer Peptide inhibiting CD147 / Cyp A interaction - The CD147 / Cyp A interaction is a critical pathway in cancer types and an essential factor in entering the COVID-19 virus into the host cell. Melittin acts as an inhibitory peptide in cancer types by blocking the CD147/ Cyp A interaction. The clinical application of Melittin is limited due to weak penetration into cancer cells. TAT is an arginine-rich peptide with high penetration ability into cells widely used in drug delivery systems. This study aimed to design a hybrid peptide derived from…

• A computational study of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as potential nanostructures to combat SARS-CoV-2 - The COVID-19 causative agent, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has a critical surface protein called spike protein (S protein), which is the target of many vaccines and drugs developments. Among non-structural proteins of SARS-CoV-2, main protease (M^(pro)) has drawn much attention to itself for designing antiviral drugs since it is very crucial for the virus replication in host cells. In the first part of the present study, the application of metal-organic…

• Molecular Mechanism of the Non-Covalent Orally Targeted SARS-CoV-2 M^pro Inhibitor S-217622 and Computational Assessment of Its Effectiveness against Mainstream Variants - Convenient and efficient therapeutic agents are urgently needed to block the continued spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Here, the mechanism for the novel orally targeted SARS-CoV-2 main protease (M^(pro)) inhibitor S-217622 is revealed through a molecular dynamics simulation. The difference in the movement modes of the S-217622-M^(pro) complex and apo-M^(pro) suggested S-217622 could inhibit the motility intensity of M^(pro), thus maintaining their stable…

• SARS-CoV-2 Diverges from Other Betacoronaviruses in Only Partially Activating the IRE1α/XBP1 Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Pathway in Human Lung-Derived Cells - Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has killed over 6 million individuals worldwide and continues to spread in countries where vaccines are not yet widely available or its citizens are hesitant to become vaccinated. Therefore, it is critical to unravel the molecular mechanisms that allow SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses to infect and overtake the host machinery of human cells. Coronavirus replication triggers endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and activation of the…

• An insight into the neuroprotective effects and molecular targets of pomegranate (Punica granatum) against Alzheimer’s disease - Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that still has no permanent cure. The drugs prescribed in the present days are only for symptomatic relief for the patients. Many studies correlating the reduction in the incidence of AD with the diet consumed have been published. These studies showed that a diet rich in polyphenols is associated with a decrease in the incidence of AD. The present review is focused on the ability of pomegranate and its bioactive components to…

• In silico approach identified benzoylguanidines as SARS-CoV-2 main protease (M^pro) potential inhibitors - The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the novel coronavirus severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), became the highest public health crisis nowadays. Although the use of approved vaccines for emergency immunization and the reuse of FDA-approved drugs remains at the forefront, the search for new, more selective, and potent drug candidates from synthetic compounds is also a viable alternative to combat this viral disease. In this context, the present…

• Single-cell transcriptome atlas reveals protective characteristics of COVID-19 mRNA vaccine - mRNA vaccines are promising alternatives to conventional vaccines in many aspects. We previously developed a lipopolyplex (LPP)-based mRNA vaccine (SW0123) that demonstrated robust immunogenicity and strong protective capacity against SARS-CoV-2 infection in mice and rhesus macaques. However, the immune profiles and mechanisms of pulmonary protection induced by SW0123 remain unclear. Through high-resolution single-cell analysis, we found that SW0123 vaccination effectively suppressed…

• Identification and characterization of a novel cell binding and cross-reactive region on spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 - Given that COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc around the world, it is imperative to search for a conserved region involved in viral infection so that effective vaccines can be developed to prevent the virus from rapid mutations. We have established a twelve-fragment library of recombinant proteins covering the entire region of spike protein of both SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV from Escherichia coli. IgGs from murine antisera specifically against 6 spike protein fragments of SARS-CoV-2 were produced,…

• Nanomolar inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 infection by an unmodified peptide targeting the prehairpin intermediate of the spike protein - Variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) challenge currently available coronavirus disease 2019 vaccines and monoclonal antibody therapies through epitope change on the receptor binding domain of the viral spike glycoprotein. Hence, there is a specific urgent need for alternative antivirals that target processes less likely to be affected by mutation, such as the membrane fusion step of viral entry into the host cell. One such antiviral class includes peptide…

• The immunological role of b7-h4 in pregnant women with sars-cov2 infection - CONCLUSIONS: The expression of the immunological marker sB7-H4 correlated with the severity of COVID-19 disease in pregnant women. sB7-H4 and B7-H4 can be used to monitor the progression of COVID-19 infection during pregnancy, and for evaluating of the maternal immune status. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

• Thiopurines inhibit coronavirus Spike protein processing and incorporation into progeny virions - There is an outstanding need for broadly acting antiviral drugs to combat emerging viral diseases. Here, we report that thiopurines inhibit the replication of the betacoronaviruses HCoV-OC43 and SARS-CoV-2. 6-thioguanine (6-TG) disrupted early stages of infection, limiting accumulation of full-length viral genomes, subgenomic RNAs and structural proteins. In ectopic expression models, we observed that 6-TG increased the electrophoretic mobility of Spike from diverse betacoronaviruses, matching…

• Correlation of SARS-CoV-2 Viral Neutralizing Antibody Titers with Anti-Spike Antibodies and ACE-2 Inhibition among Vaccinated Individuals - SARS-CoV-2 anti-spike antibody concentrations and angiotensin converting enzyme-2 (ACE-2) inhibition have been used as surrogates to live viral neutralizing antibody titers; however, validity among vaccinated individuals is unclear. We tested the correlation of these measures among vaccinated participants, and examined subgroups based on duration since vaccination and vaccine dosing intervals. We analyzed 120 samples from two-dose mRNA vaccinees without previous COVID-19. We calculated Spearman…

• Dietary alpha-ketoglutarate inhibits SARS CoV-2 infection and rescues inflamed lungs to restore O₂ saturation by inhibiting pAkt - No abstract

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