Covid-19 Sentry

Contents

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

From Preprints

• ‘All together now’: Facilitators and barriers to mutual aid during the first UK COVID-19 lockdown, and implications for community resilience -
  Despite undeniable hardship, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic also saw an outpour of community solidarity and mutual aid towards those in need. This study explored why people participated in mutual aid, as well as the factors that contributed to continued involvement and/or its decline. We conducted remote interviews with 18 people in South-east England who had been involved in volunteering and local community support groups during the first UK lockdown from March to May 2020. Using thematic approaches to data analysis, we identified two broad themes: 1) Shared social identities and mutual support, and 2) Enduring connections and barriers to continued participation. Participants often reported an emergent shared identity, preferring the localised nature of these groups and the associated mutual nature of support. They also reported intentions to continue providing such support, should the need arise again, and any barriers to continued involvement in mutual aid were better explained by structural and systemic issues, rather than individual, motivational factors. Implications for pandemic response are discussed and future research suggested.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: ‘All together now’: Facilitators and barriers to mutual aid during the first UK COVID-19 lockdown, and implications for community resilience
• Improving the representativeness of UKs national COVID-19 Infection Survey through spatio-temporal regression and post-stratification -

  Population-representative estimates of SARS-CoV-2 infection prevalence and antibody levels in specific geographic areas at different time points are needed to optimise policy responses. However, even population-wide surveys are potentially impacted by biases arising from differences in participation rates across key groups. Here, we use spatio-temporal regression and post-stratification models to UKs national COVID-19 Infection Survey (CIS) to obtain representative estimates of PCR positivity (6,496,052 tests) and antibody prevalence (1,941,333 tests) for different regions, ages and ethnicities (7-December-2020 to 4-May-2022). Not accounting for vaccination status through post-stratification led to small underestimation of PCR positivity, but more substantial overestimations of antibody levels in the population (up to 21%), particularly in groups with low vaccine uptake in the general population. There was marked variation in the relative contribution of different areas and age-groups to each wave. Future analyses of infectious disease surveys should take into account major drivers of outcomes of interest that may also influence participation, with vaccination being an important factor to consider.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Improving the representativeness of UKs national COVID-19 Infection Survey through spatio-temporal regression and post-stratification
• A Scoping review: Nursing Human Resources Management During Pandemic COVID-19 in Emergency Department -
  Abstract: Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the order of service in the emergency room, which is the frontline in emergency services to save lives and prevent patient disability. Accepting referral patients who need follow-up treatment shows that the emergency room is the storefront of a hospital. Therefore, HR management is vital in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Purpose: Knowing the picture of HR management during the COVID-19 pandemic in the emergency room. Method: The writing of this article is a literature review with a scoping review. Results: This article found four things, namely nursing HR management in the emergency room, namely recruitment, staffing, shifting, and nursing HR management.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: A Scoping review: Nursing Human Resources Management During Pandemic COVID-19 in Emergency Department
• Bivalent booster effectiveness against severe COVID-19 outcomes in Finland, September 2022 - January 2023 -

  Bivalent COVID-19 vaccines were introduced in 2022 but knowledge of how their effectiveness against severe COVID-19 outcomes is sustained over time is currently limited. In Finnish register-based cohort analyses, we compared the risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes among those who received bivalent vaccination (exposed) between 1 September 2022 and 31 January 2023 to those who did not (unexposed). Among elderly aged 65-120 years, bivalent vaccination reduced the risk of hospitalisation and death due to COVID-19. Among the elderly the hazard ratios comparing exposed and unexposed ranged from 0.36 to 0.43 during the first 14-30 days since bivalent vaccination but signs of waning were observed as soon as two months after vaccination. Among the chronically ill aged 18-64 years bivalent vaccination did not reduce the risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes. These results are crucial for further developing COVID-19 vaccination programme worldwide.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Bivalent booster effectiveness against severe COVID-19 outcomes in Finland, September 2022 - January 2023
• Molnupiravir’s real-world effectiveness in COVID-19 non-hospitalized patients at high risk of severe disease: a single-center study -

  Objective: To assess the real-world effectiveness of molnupiravir (MOL) in reducing the need for hospitalization in at-risk, non-hospitalized patients with confirmed COVID-19. Methods: A single-center, non-randomized, observational retrospective study of non-hospitalized patients with confirmed COVID-19 treated at the Clinic for Infectious and Tropical Diseases, University Clinical Center in Belgrade, Serbia. Results: Between December 15th, 2021, and February 15th, 2022, 320 patients were eligible for inclusion in the study. Of these, 165 received treatment with molnupiravir (51.6%), while both groups were similar in gender and age distribution. The treatment group had a higher proportion of vaccination (75.2% vs. 51%, p<0.001) but was similar to the control group in terms of multiple comorbidity predomination (65.5% vs. 65.2%, p 0.956). The majority of patients who received MOL did not require hospitalization (92.7 vs. 24.5%, p<0.001) and needed oxygen supplementation less frequently than those in the control group (0.6% vs. 31%, p<0.001). During the follow-up period of 12.12 +/- 3.5 days, none of the patients on MOL were admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (vs. 10.3%, p<0.001). Molnupiravir significantly reduced the risk of hospitalization by 97.9% (HR 0.021, p<0.001). Conclussion: Our study has proven the effectiveness of molnupiravir in preventing hospitalization in a population at risk for developing severe forms of COVID-19. Keywords: Molnupiravir; COVID-19;

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Molnupiravir’s real-world effectiveness in COVID-19 non-hospitalized patients at high risk of severe disease: a single-center study
• Decline in prevalence of tuberculosis following an intensive case-finding campaign and the COVID-19 pandemic in an urban Ugandan community -

  Background: Systematic screening is a potential tool for reducing the prevalence of tuberculosis and counteracting COVID-related disruptions in care. Repeated community-wide screening can also measure changes in the prevalence of tuberculosis over time. Methods: We conducted serial, cross-sectional tuberculosis case-finding campaigns in one community in Kampala, Uganda, in 2019 and 2021. Both campaigns sought sputum for tuberculosis testing (Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra) from all adolescents and adults. We estimated the prevalence of tuberculosis among screening participants in each campaign and compared characteristics of people with tuberculosis across campaigns. We simultaneously enrolled and characterized community residents who were diagnosed with tuberculosis through routine care and assessed trends in facility-based diagnosis. Results: We successfully screened 12,033 community residents (35% of the estimated adult/adolescent population) in 2019 and 11,595 (33%) in 2021. In 2019, 0.94% (95% CI 0.77-1.13%) of participants tested Xpert-positive (including trace). This proportion fell to 0.52% (95%CI 0.40-0.67%) in 2021; the prevalence ratio was 0.55 [95%CI: 0.40-0.75]). There was no change in the age (median 26 vs 26), sex (56% vs 59% female), or prevalence of chronic cough (49% vs 54%) among those testing positive. By contrast, the rate of routine facility-based diagnosis remained steady in the eight months before each campaign (210 [95%CI 155-279] vs. 240 [95%CI 181-312] per 100,000 per year). Conclusions: Following an intensive initial case-finding campaign in an urban Ugandan community in 2019, the burden of prevalent tuberculosis as measured by systematic screening had decreased by 45% in 2021, despite the intervening COVID-19 pandemic.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Decline in prevalence of tuberculosis following an intensive case-finding campaign and the COVID-19 pandemic in an urban Ugandan community
• Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the etiology and characteristics of community-acquired pneumonia among children requiring bronchoalveolar lavage in northern China -

  Background: To investigate the etiology and clinical characteristics of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) among children requiring bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and analyze the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the pathogen spectrum and clinical manifestations. Methods: Children <14 years old hospitalized with CAP requiring BLA were enrolled between February 2019 to January 2020 and August 2021 to July 2022. Multiplex reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (mRT-PCR) was used for pathogen detection. The demographic and clinical characteristics were compared between different pathogen-type infection groups, and before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: Pathogen was detected in 91.66% (1363/1487) children. Mycoplasma pneumoniae, adenovirus and human rhinovirus were the most frequently detected pathogens. The frequency of detection of virus infections and co-infections was decreased during the pandemic, but the detection of atypical bacterial infections was increased. The clinical manifestations and the results of CT scans and fiberoptic bronchoscopy showed a significant difference between different types of pathogen infection, and lung inflammation was reduced during the COVID-19 pandemic compared with before the pandemic. Conclusions:  M. pneumoniae infection might be the greatest pediatric disease burden leading to CAP in northern China. Wearing masks and social distancing in public places during the COVID-19 pandemic effectively reduced the transmission of respiratory viruses, but it did not reduce the infection rate of M. pneumoniae. In addition, these interventions significantly reduced lung inflammation in children compared with before the pandemic.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the etiology and characteristics of community-acquired pneumonia among children requiring bronchoalveolar lavage in northern China
• Campus Sewage Water Surveillance based dynamics and infection trends of SARS-CoV-2 variants during third wave of COVID-19 in Pune, India -

  The wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) of SARS-CoV-2 is a quick and cost-effective method of tracking virus transmission. However, few studies reported on campus or in academic or residential settings worldwide. In this study, we demonstrated the WBE approach to detect, monitor, and evaluate genomic variants of SARS-CoV-2 fragments in a sewage treatment plant (STP) located on the campus of CSIR National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, India. Herein we describe the early warning capability of WBE, with viral load rise in campus sewage water up to 14 days before its clinical detection. This was supported further by a significant correlation between SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentration and clinically reported COVID-19 cases on campus. Additionally, we comprehended the probable targets missed by the quantitative qRT-PCR using amplicon-based sequencing due to low viral load. The analysis revealed the presence of signature mutations of the Omicron (S:N679K, S:N764K, S:D796Y, N:P13L, ORF1a:T3255I, ORF1a:K856R, ORF1a:P3395H, and N:S413R) before the lineage was first detected globally. Further, we used Lineage decomposition (LCS) tool to detect the Variant of Concern (VOC)/Variant of Interest (VOI) signals upto a month earlier in sewage water samples. The analysis also indicated the transition of lineage from Delta to Omicron in late Decemeber,2021. This is the first study in India highlighting the use of on-campus STP to evaluate the local spread of SARS-CoV-2, which could aid in preventing COVID-19 in academic institutes/universities. This study proves the usefulness of WBE as an early warning system for detecting, tracking and tracing VOCs using the sequencing approach. The current study could aid in taking critical decisions to tackle the pandemic scenario on campus.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Campus Sewage Water Surveillance based dynamics and infection trends of SARS-CoV-2 variants during third wave of COVID-19 in Pune, India
• Association of Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir Treatment with Long COVID Symptoms in an Online Cohort of Non-Hospitalized Individuals Experiencing Breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 Infection in the Omicron Era -

  Background: Oral nirmatrelvir/ritonavir is a treatment for COVID-19, but whether treatment during the acute phase reduces the risk of developing Long COVID is unknown. Methods: Using the Covid Citizen Science (CCS) online cohort, we surveyed individuals who reported their first SARS-CoV-2 positive test between March and August 2022 regarding Long COVID symptoms. We excluded those who were pregnant, unvaccinated, hospitalized for COVID-19, or received other antiviral therapy. The primary exposure was oral nirmatrelvir/ritonavir. The primary outcome was the presence of any Long COVID symptoms reported on cross-sectional surveys in November and December 2022. We used propensity-score models and inverse probability of treatment weighting to adjust for differences in treatment propensity. Our secondary question was whether symptom or test positivity rebound were associated with Long COVID. Results: 4684 individuals met the eligibility criteria, of whom 988 (21.1%) were treated and 3696 (78.9%) were untreated; 353/988 (35.7%) treated and 1258/3696 (34.0%) untreated responded to the survey. Median age was 55 years and 66% were female. We did not identify an association between nirmatrelvir/ritonavir treatment and Long COVID symptoms (OR 1.15; 95%CI 0.80-1.64). Among n=666 treated with nirmatrelvir/ritonavir who responded who responded to questions about rebound, rebound symptoms or test positivity were not associated with Long COVID symptoms (OR 1.34; 95%CI 0.74-2.41; p=0.33). Conclusions: Within this cohort, treatment with nirmatrelvir/ritonavir among vaccinated, non-hospitalized individuals was not associated with lower prevalence of Long COVID symptoms or severity of Long COVID. Experiencing rebound symptoms or test positivity is not strongly associated with developing Long COVID.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Association of Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir Treatment with Long COVID Symptoms in an Online Cohort of Non-Hospitalized Individuals Experiencing Breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 Infection in the Omicron Era
• Phenome-wide association study to explore the long-term symptoms after infection with novel coronavirus in the UK Biobank -

  Background Observational research studies have shown that even after the acute phase, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can affect patients, and increase the risk of cardiovascular, mental, metabolic, and other disorders. However, the spectrum of diseases for individuals with a genetic predisposition to COVID-19 remains unclear. Methods We leveraged individual-level data from UK Biobank to implement a phenome-wide association study to explore the relationships between COVID-19 and 1061 diseases. Then, the inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method was adopted with summary-level data from global consortiums as sensitivity analyses combined with other MR methods with different model assumptions to identify robust associations. Findings The PheWAS found severe respiratory, hospitalized, and susceptibility COVID-19 had detrimental effects on 36, 37, and 51 kinds of diseases, separately. The IVW test found severe respiratory COVID-19 had detrimental effects on breast cancer [OR 95% CI: 1.065 (1.000-1.133) ], pan-cancer [OR 95% CI: 1.002 (1.000-1.004) ], and Alzheimer9s disease [OR 95% CI: 1.042 (1.005-1.081) ], etc. Hospitalized COVID-19 had detrimental effects on ischemic stroke (IS) [OR 95%CI: 1.049 (1.001-1.100) ], breast cancer [OR 95%CI: 1.139 (1.011-1.283) ], and pan-cancer [OR 95%CI: 1.003 (1.000-1.006) ], etc. Susceptibility COVID-19 had detrimental effects on deep vein thrombosis (DVT) of lower extremities [OR 95%CI: 2.392 (1.167-4.902) ], venous thromboembolism [OR 95%CI: 1.962 (1.115-3.453) ], pulmonary heart disease/diseases of pulmonary circulation [OR 95%CI: 1.767 (1.142-2.733) ], IS (large artery atherosclerosis) [OR 95%CI: 1.405 (1.025-1.927) ], myocardial infarction [OR 95%CI: 1.235 (1.012-1.509) ], heart failure [OR 95%CI: 1.140 (1.009-1.287) ], etc. Interpretation This study describes the extensive link between genetically determined COVID-19 and a broad range of diseases, especially those of the circulatory system, neuropsychiatric system, neoplasms, immune system, and digestive systems. Early detection and management of post-COVID-19 conditions could be tremendously beneficial to public health.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Phenome-wide association study to explore the long-term symptoms after infection with novel coronavirus in the UK Biobank
• Wikipedia as a tool for contemporary history of science: A case study on CRISPR -
  Rapid developments and methodological divides hinder the study of how scientific knowledge accumulates, consolidates and transfers to the public sphere. Our work proposes using Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, as a historiographical source regarding contemporary science. We chose the high-profile field of gene editing as our test case, performing a historical analysis of the English-language Wikipedia articles on CRISPR. Using a mixed method approach, we qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed its text, sections and references, alongside 50 affiliated articles. These, we found, documented CRISPR’s maturation from a fundamental scientific discovery to a biotechnological revolution with vast social and cultural implications. We developed automated tools to support such research generically and demonstrated its applicability on two other scientific fields we have previously studied - COVID-19 and Circadian clocks. This method makes use of Wikipedia as a digital and free archive, documenting the incremental growth of knowledge and the manner scientific research accumulates and translates into public discourse. Using Wikipedia in this manner compliments and overcomes some issues with contemporary histories and can also augment existing bibliometric research.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Wikipedia as a tool for contemporary history of science: A case study on CRISPR
• When police pull back: Neighborhood-level effects of de-policing on violent and property crime -
  Many U.S. cities witnessed both de-policing and increased crime in 2020, yet it remains unclear whether the former contributed to the latter. Indeed, much of what is known about the effects of proactive policing on crime comes from studies that evaluate highly focused interventions atypical of day-to-day policing, use cities as the unit of analysis, or cannot rule out endogeneity. This study addresses each of these issues, thereby advancing the evidence base concerning the effects of policing on crime. Leveraging two exogenous shocks presented by the onset of COVID-19 and social unrest following the murder of George Floyd, we evaluated the effects of sudden and sustained reductions in high-discretion policing on crime at the neighborhood level in Denver. Multilevel models accounting for trends in prior police activity, neighborhood structure, seasonality, and population mobility revealed mixed results. On one hand, large-scale reductions in pedestrian stops and drug-related arrests were associated with significant increases in violent and property crimes, respectively. On the other hand, fewer vehicle stops and disorder arrests did not affect crime. These results were not universal across neighborhoods. We discuss the implications of these findings in light of debates concerning the appropriate role of policing in the 21st century.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: When police pull back: Neighborhood-level effects of de-policing on violent and property crime
• Scalable neighbour search and alignment with uvaia -
  Despite millions of SARS-CoV-2 genomes being sequenced and shared globally, manipulating such data sets is still challenging, especially selecting sequences for focused phylogenetic analysis. We present a novel method, uvaia, which is based on partial and exact sequence similarity for quickly extracting database sequences similar to query sequences of interest. Many SARS-CoV-2 phylogenetic analyses rely on very low numbers of ambiguous sites as a measure of quality since ambiguous sites do not contribute to single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) differences, which uvaia alleviates by using measures of sequence similarity that consider partially ambiguous sites. Such fine-grained definition of similarity allows not only for better phylogenetic analyses, but also for improved classification and biogeographical inferences. Uvaia works natively with compressed files, can use multiple cores and efficiently utilises memory, being able to analyse large data sets on a standard desktop.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Scalable neighbour search and alignment with uvaia
• Frequent emergence of resistance mutations following complex intra-host genomic dynamics in SARS-CoV-2 patients receiving Sotrovimab -
  The emergence of the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 represented a challenge to the treatment of COVID-19 with monoclonal antibodies. Only Sotrovimab maintained partial activity, allowing it to be used in high-risk patients infected with the Omicron variant. However, the reports of resistance mutations to Sotrovimab call for efforts to better understand the intra-patient emergence of this resistance. A retrospective genomic analysis was conducted on respiratory samples from immunocompromised patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 who received Sotrovimab at our hospital between December 2021 and August 2022. The study involved 95 sequential specimens from 22 patients (1-12 samples/patient; 3-107 days post-infusion (Ct [≤] 32)). Resistance mutations (in P337, E340, K356, and R346) were detected in 68% of cases; the shortest time to detection of a resistance mutation was 5 days after Sotrovimab infusion. The dynamics of resistance acquisition were highly complex, with up to 11 distinct amino acid changes in specimens from the same patient. In two patients, the mutation distribution was compartmentalized in respiratory samples from different sources. This is the first study to examine the acquisition of resistance to Sotrovimab in the BA.5 lineage, enabling us to determine the lack of genomic or clinical differences between Sotrovimab resistance in BA.5 relative to BA.1/2. Across all Omicron lineages, the acquisition of resistance delayed SARS-CoV-2 clearance (40.67 vs 19.5 days). Close, real-time genomic surveillance of patients receiving Sotrovimab should be mandatory to facilitate early therapeutic interventions.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Frequent emergence of resistance mutations following complex intra-host genomic dynamics in SARS-CoV-2 patients receiving Sotrovimab
• Residual Sanitization of Three Human Respiratory Viruses on a Hard, Non-Porous Surface -
  Human pathogenic viruses that are present in bioaerosols released by coughing, sneezing, or breathing can contaminate fomites and other inanimate environmental surfaces. Most are enveloped respiratory viruses that are vulnerable to inactivation by a broad spectrum of antimicrobial actives. Quaternary ammonium compounds are highly diverse in structure and are among the most widely utilized antimicrobial agents. The objective of this study was to evaluate two commercially available, ready-to-use quaternary ammonium compound-based disinfectants (one of which also contains a surface binding agent) for antiviral activity against Influenza A (H1N1), human coronavirus 229E, and SARS-CoV-2 (Washington) following a rigorous procedure of wear and abrasions with regular re-inoculations of virus in the presence of a 6% organic soil load. Formulation TF-A demonstrated variable residual efficacy against the three viruses, achieving log10 reductions of 1.62, 3.33, and 0.92, respectively. Formulation TF-B lowered each test virus by greater than 3-log10 to non-detectable levels on all carriers in demonstration of residual antiviral activity.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Residual Sanitization of Three Human Respiratory Viruses on a Hard, Non-Porous Surface

From Clinical Trials

• Exercise Training Six-Months After Discharge in Post-COVID-19 Syndrome - Condition:   COVID-19 Pneumonia
  Intervention:   Other: Aerobic exercise and strength training
  Sponsor:   Ukbe Sirayder
  Completed

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

• ACTIV-6: COVID-19 Study of Repurposed Medications - Arm A (Ivmermectin 400) - Condition:   Covid19
  Interventions:   Drug: Ivermectin;   Other: Placebo
  Sponsors:   Susanna Naggie, MD;   National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS);   Vanderbilt University Medical Center
  Completed

• Counter-Regulatory Hormonal and Stress Systems in Patients With COVID-19 - Condition:   COVID-19
  Intervention:   Diagnostic Test: Blood sampling
  Sponsor:   Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS
  Completed

• Exploratory Efficacy of N-Acetylcysteine in Patients With History of COVID-19 - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Drug: N-Acetylcysteine;   Drug: Placebo
  Sponsor:   Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS
  Active, not recruiting

• A Specific miRNA Encoded by SARS-CoV-2 as a Diagnostic Tool to Predict Disease Severity in COVID-19 Patients - Condition:   COVID-19
  Intervention:   Diagnostic Test: miRNA analysis in plasma
  Sponsor:   Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS
  Completed

• Telerehabilitation in the Post-COVID-19 Patient (TRIALS) - Condition:   Post-COVID-19 Syndrome
  Intervention:   Other: Telerehabilitation program
  Sponsor:   Istituto Auxologico Italiano
  Recruiting

• Effect of Selected Types of Breathing Exercises on Different Outcome Measures in Covid-19 Patients - Condition:   COVID-19
  Intervention:   Other: breathing exercise
  Sponsor:   Basma Mosaad Abd-elrahman Abushady
  Completed

• Application and Research of Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Alleviating Severe Development of COVID-19 Infection - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Biological: Umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells implantation;   Other: Comparator
  Sponsor:   Hebei Medical University
  Recruiting

• Immunogenicity and Reactogenicity of the Beta-variant Recombinant Protein Booster Vaccine (VidPrevtyn Beta, Sanofi) Compared to a Bivalent mRNA Vaccine (Comirnaty Original/Omicron BA.4-5, BioNTech-Pfizer) in Adults Previously Vaccinated With at Least 3 Doses of COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine - Conditions:   Vaccine Reaction;   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Biological: Comirnaty® BNT162b2 /Omicron BA.4-5 vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech);   Biological: VidPrevtyn® Beta vaccine (Sanofi/GSK)
  Sponsors:   Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris;   IREIVAC/COVIREIVAC Network
  Not yet recruiting

• Study of WPV01 Compared With Placebo in Patients With Mild/Moderate COVID-19 Infection - Condition:   COVID-19 Infection
  Interventions:   Drug: WPV01;   Drug: Placebo
  Sponsor:   Westlake Pharmaceuticals (Hangzhou) Co., Ltd.
  Not yet recruiting

• ARVAC-A New Recombinant Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) - Condition:   COVID-19 Vaccine
  Interventions:   Biological: Gamma Variant RBD-based ARVAC-CG vaccine;   Biological: Omicron Variant RBD-based ARVAC-CG vaccine;   Biological: Bivalent RBD-based ARVAC-CG vaccine;   Other: Placebo
  Sponsors:   Mónica Edith Lombardo;   Universidad Nacional de San Martín (UNSAM);   National Council of Scientific and Technical Research, Argentina;   Laboratorio Pablo Cassará S.R.L.
  Recruiting

• A Study of HH-120 Nasal Spray in Close Contacts of Those Diagnosed With COVID-19 - Conditions:   COVID-19;   SARS-CoV-2 Infection
  Intervention:   Drug: HH-120 Nasal Spray
  Sponsor:   Beijing Ditan Hospital
  Completed

• Mitigating Mental and Social Health Outcomes of COVID-19: A Counseling Approach - Conditions:   Social Determinants of Health;   Mental Health Issue;   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Other: Individual Counseling;   Other: Group Counseling;   Other: Resources
  Sponsors:   New Mexico State University;   National Institutes of Health (NIH)
  Not yet recruiting

• A Phase 1/2 Study to Assess the Safety and Immunogenicity of JCXH-221, an mRNA-based Broadly Protective COVID-19 Vaccine - Conditions:   COVID-19;   Infectious Disease
  Interventions:   Biological: JCXH-221;   Biological: Active Comparator;   Other: Placebo
  Sponsors:   Immorna Biotherapeutics, Inc.;   ICON plc
  Not yet recruiting

From PubMed

• Vitamin C promotes ACE2 degradation and protects against SARS-CoV-2 infection - ACE2 is a major receptor for cellular entry of SARS-CoV-2. Despite advances in targeting ACE2 to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 binding, strategies to flexibly and sufficiently reduce ACE2 levels for the prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infection have not been explored. Here, we reveal vitamin C (VitC) administration as a potent strategy to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection. VitC reduces ACE2 protein levels in a dose-dependent manner, while even a partial reduction in ACE2 levels can greatly inhibit SARS-CoV-2…

• Low hanging fruit for combatting SARS-CoV-2? - Entry of SARS-CoV-2 into human respiratory cells, mediated by the spike protein, is absolutely dependent on the cellular receptor ACE2 (angiotensin-converting enzyme-2). This makes ACE2 an attractive target for therapeutic intervention in COVID-19. In this issue, Zuo et al. discover that vitamin C, an essential nutrient and common dietary supplement, can target ACE2 for ubiquitin-dependent degradation, resulting in the inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 infection (Zuo et al, 2023). The study identifies…

• Comparison of Anakinra and Tocilizumab in Anticytokine Therapy in the Treatment of Coronavirus Disease-2019 - CONCLUSION: We observed the positive effects of the use of tocilizumab on clinical improvement in the early period; mechanical ventilation requirement was delayed and at a lower rate. Anakinra treatment did not change mortality and PaO(2)/FiO(2) rates. Mechanical ventilation requirements occurred earlier in the patients who were not receiving any anticytokine therapy. Studies with larger patient populations are needed to demonstrate the potential efficacy of anticytokine therapy.

• Transcriptome and metabolome profiling unveils the mechanisms of naphthalene acetic acid in promoting cordycepin synthesis in Cordyceps militaris - Cordycepin, an important active substance in Cordyceps militaris, possesses antiviral and other beneficial activities. In addition, it has been reported to effectively promote the comprehensive treatment of COVID-19 and thus has become a research hotspot. The addition of naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) is known to significantly improve the yield of cordycepin; however, its related molecular mechanism remains unclear. We conducted a preliminary study on C. militaris with different concentrations of…

• Determining the Optimal SARS-CoV-2 mRNA Vaccine Dosing Interval for Maximum Immunogenicity - CONCLUSION: Increased mRNA vaccine dosing intervals longer than 38 days result in higher levels of anti-spike antibodies and ACE-2 inhibition when assessed six months after the first COVID-19 vaccine.

• In vitro metabolic characterization of the SARS-CoV-2 papain-like protease inhibitors GRL0617 and HY-17542 - The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic requires a new therapeutic target for viral infection, and papain-like protease (Plpro) has been suggested as a druggable target. This in-vitro study was conducted to examine the drug metabolism of the GRL0617 and HY-17542, Plpro inhibitors. Metabolism of these inhibitors was studied to predict the pharmacokinetics in human liver microsomes. The hepatic cytochrome P450 (CYP) isoforms responsible for their metabolism were identified using recombinant enzymes. The drug-drug…

• Polypropylene Modified with Ag-Based Semiconductors as a Potential Material against SARS-CoV-2 and Other Pathogens - The worldwide outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) and other emerging infections are difficult and sometimes impossible to treat, making them one of the major public health problems of our time. It is noteworthy that Ag-based semiconductors can help orchestrate several strategies to fight this serious societal issue. In this work, we present the synthesis of α-Ag(2)WO(4), β-Ag(2)MoO(4), and Ag(2)CrO(4) and their immobilization in polypropylene in the amounts of 0.5, 1.0, and 3.0 wt %,…

• Hemolytic uremic syndrome in the setting of COVID-19 successfully treated with complement inhibition therapy: An instructive case report of a previously healthy toddler and review of literature - CONCLUSION: Although reports of HUS in the setting of COVID-19 continue to pour in, the questions of exact mechanism and similarities to MIS-C remain. Our case for the first time accentuates the use of complement blockade as a valuable treatment option in this scenario. We sincerely believe that reporting on HUS as a complication of COVID-19 in children will give rise to improved diagnosis and treatment, as well as better understanding of both of these intricating diseases.

• Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of Imatinib for Optimal Drug Repurposing from Cancer to COVID-19 - CONCLUSION: COVID-19 patients exhibit higher total imatinib exposure compared to cancer patients, attributed to differences in plasma protein concentrations. Higher imatinib exposure in COVID-19 patients did not associate with improved clinical outcomes. Total C(trough) and AUC(ave) inversely associated with some PD-outcomes, which may be biased by disease course, variability in metabolic rate and protein binding. Therefore, additional PKPD analyses into unbound imatinib and its main metabolite…

• Establishment of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 and cluster of differentiation 147 dual target cell membrane chromatography based on SNAP-tag technology for screening anti severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 active components - Patients have different responses to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections and these may be life-threatening for critically ill patients. Screening components that act on host cell receptors, especially multi-receptor components, is challenging. The in-line combination of dual-targeted cell membrane chromatography and a liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy (LC-MS) system for analyzing angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and cluster of differentiation 147…

• Design and characterization of novel SARS-CoV-2 fusion inhibitors with N-terminally extended HR2 peptides - Development of potent and broad-spectrum antivirals against SARS-CoV-2 remains one of top priorities, especially in the case of that current vaccines cannot effectively prevent viral transmission. We previously generated a group of fusion-inhibitory lipopeptides, with one formulation being evaluated under clinical trials. In this study, we dedicated to characterize the extended N-terminal motif (residues 1161-1168) of the so-called spike (S) heptad repeat 2 (HR2) region. Alanine scanning…

• Pinosrtobin from plants and propolis against human coronavirus HCoV-OC43 by modulating host AHR/CYP1A1 pathway and lipid metabolism - Coronaviruses, as enveloped positive-strand RNA viruses, manipulate host lipid compositions to enable robust viral replication. Temporal modulation of the host lipid metabolism is a potential novel strategy against coronaviruses. Here, the dihydroxyflavone pinostrobin (PSB) was identified through bioassay that inhibited the increment of human coronavirus OC43 (HCoV-OC43) in human ileocecal colorectal adenocarcinoma cells. Lipid metabolomic studies showed that PSB interfered with linoleic acid…

• Global loss of cellular m6A RNA methylation following infection with different SARS-CoV-2 variants - Host-viral interactions during SARS-CoV-2 infection are needed to understand COVID-19 pathogenesis and may help to guide the design of novel antiviral therapeutics. N6-methyladenosine modification (m6A), one of the most abundant cellular RNA modifications, regulates key processes in RNA metabolism during a stress response. Gene expression profiles observed post-infection with different SARS-CoV-2 variants show changes in the expression of genes related to RNA catabolism, including m6A readers…

• Dual mechanism: Epigenetic inhibitor apabetalone reduces SARS-CoV-2 Delta and Omicron variant spike binding and attenuates SARS-CoV-2 RNA induced inflammation - The SARS-CoV-2 virus initiates infection via interactions between the viral spike protein and the ACE2 receptors on host cells. Variants of concern have mutations in the spike protein that enhance ACE2 binding affinity, leading to increased virulence and transmission. Viral RNAs released after entry into host cells trigger interferon-I (IFN-I) mediated inflammatory responses for viral clearance and resolution of infection. However, overreactive host IFN-I responses and pro-inflammatory signals…

• Immune evasion of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2); molecular approaches - In December 2019, a new betacoronavirus, known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), caused an outbreak at the Wuhan seafood market in China. The disease was further named coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced the disease to be a pandemic, as more cases were reported globally. SARS-CoV-2, like many other viruses, employs diverse strategies to elude the host immune response and/or counter immune responses. The…

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