Covid-19 Sentry

Contents

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

From Preprints

• Mental Health During the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Review and Recommendations for Moving Forward -
  COVID-19 has infected millions of people and upended the lives of most humans on the planet. Researchers from across the psychological sciences have sought to document and investigate the impact of COVID-19 in myriad ways, causing an explosion of research that is broad in scope, varied in methods, and challenging to consolidate. Because policy and practice aimed at helping people live healthier and happier lives requires insight from robust patterns of evidence, this paper provides a rapid and thorough summary of high-quality studies available through early 2021 examining the mental health consequences of living through the COVID-19 pandemic. Our review of the evidence indicates that anxiety, depression, and distress increased in the early months of the pandemic. Meanwhile, suicide rates, life satisfaction, and loneliness remained largely stable throughout the first year of the pandemic. In response to these insights, we present seven recommendations (one urgent, two short-term, and four ongoing) to support mental health during the pandemic and beyond.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Mental Health During the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Review and Recommendations for Moving Forward
• Prosocial behavior promotes positive emotion during the COVID-19 pandemic -
  The COVID-19 pandemic has raised concerns about humans’ physical and mental well-being. In response, there has been an urgent “call to action” for psychological interventions that enhance positive emotion and psychological resilience. Prosocial behavior has been shown to effectively promote well-being, but is this strategy effective during a pandemic when ongoing apprehension for personal safety could acutely heighten self-focused concern? In two online pre-registered experiments (N =1,623) conducted during the early stage of pandemic (April 2020), we examined this question by randomly assigning participants to engage in other- or self-beneficial action. For the first time, we manipulated whether prosocial behavior was related to the source of stress (COVID-19): participants purchased COVID-19-related (personal protective equipment, PPE) or COVID-19-unrelated items (food/writing supplies) for themselves or someone else. Consistent with pre-registered hypotheses, prosocial (vs. non-prosocial or proself) behavior led to higher levels of self-reported positive affect, empathy and social connectedness. Notably, we also found that psychological benefits were larger when generous acts were unrelated to COVID-19 (vs. related to COVID-19). When prosocial and proself spending involved identical COVID-19 PPEs items, prosocial behavior’s benefits were detectable only on empathy and social connectedness, but not on post-task positive affect. These findings suggest that while there are boundary conditions to be considered, generous action offers one strategy to bolster well-being during the pandemic.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Prosocial behavior promotes positive emotion during the COVID-19 pandemic
• Do Virtual Environments Close the Gender Gap in Participation in Question-and-Answer Sessions at Academic Conferences? In Search of Moderation by Conference Format -
  Consistent with power and status differences between men and women in society, men tend to participate more than women do in question-and-answer (Q&A) sessions at in-person academic conferences. This gap in participation in scientific discourse may perpetuate the status quo. The current research examines whether this gender gap in participation in Q&A sessions extends to virtual conferences, which have become more prevalent during the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to shifts in conference formats to enable asynchronous, anonymous, and/or simultaneous participation, we examined whether virtual conferences are more inclusive, and mitigate the gender gap in Q&A participation. Across four virtual conferences that varied in gender representation and Q&A structured format, men continued to take a disproportionate amount of time and space in Q&A sessions. Disproportionate participation did not significantly vary between in-person and virtual formats and did not systematically vary by how the Q&A session was organized. In an all-chat virtual conference, gender differences in volubility were attenuated among higher status academics. Gendered participation and volubility were also impacted by which sub-discipline the presentation was in. Discussion considers the theoretical and practical implications of these findings for understanding the persistence of gender inequality in science. We encourage future research that attends to the cultural factors that promote or mitigate gender disparities in participation.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Do Virtual Environments Close the Gender Gap in Participation in Question-and-Answer Sessions at Academic Conferences? In Search of Moderation by Conference Format
• Recognizing the Impact of Covid-19 on the Poor Alters Attitudes Towards Poverty and Inequality -
  The novel Coronavirus that spread around the world in early 2020 triggered a global pandemic and economic downturn that affected nearly everyone. Yet the crisis had a disproportionate impact on the poor and revealed how easily working-class individuals’ financial security can be destabilised by factors beyond personal control. In a pre-registered longitudinal study of Americans (N = 233) spanning April 2019 to May 2020, we tested whether the pandemic altered beliefs about the extent to which poverty is caused by external forces and internal dispositions and support for economic inequality. Over this timespan, participants revealed a shift in their attributions for poverty, reporting that poverty is more strongly impacted by external-situational causes and less by internal-dispositional causes. However, we did not detect an overall mean-level change in opposition to inequality or support for government intervention. Instead, only for those who most strongly recognized the negative impact of COVID-19 did changes in poverty attributions translate to decreased support for inequality, and increased support for government intervention to help the poor.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Recognizing the Impact of Covid-19 on the Poor Alters Attitudes Towards Poverty and Inequality
• Tracing the origin of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron-like Spike sequences detected in wastewater -

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

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Tracing the origin of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron-like Spike sequences detected in wastewater
• Navigating Digital Inequality: Examining Factors Affecting Rural Customers’ Internet Banking Adoption in Post-COVID Bangladesh -
  As the world continues to navigate the new normal brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, one issue that has come to the forefront is digital inequality. In Bangladesh, where a significant portion of the population resides in rural areas, the adoption of internet banking has been hindered by various factors. However, understanding these factors is crucial, especially now that digital transactions have become more important. This study aims to understand the factors influencing the adoption of internet banking services among rural customers in Bangladesh. To acquire data, a questionnaire was administered to 443 rural bank customers in the district of Barisal. The Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) revealed three primary factors: trust compatibility, service benefit, and access to consumer education. In addition, the research sought to determine if the identified factors, particularly access to consumer education, varied according to the occupation and income level of rural consumers. Using exhaustive Chi-squared Automatic Interaction Detection (CHAID) analysis, the findings revealed that access to consumer education differs significantly by occupation level, with business and service holders being more likely than farmers to have access to consumer education. This research contributes to the literature by providing insights into the adoption of internet banking by rural customers and informing policymakers about the special needs of this demographic.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Navigating Digital Inequality: Examining Factors Affecting Rural Customers’ Internet Banking Adoption in Post-COVID Bangladesh
• Bivalent mRNA-1273.214 vaccine effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2 omicron XBB* infections -

  Qatar introduced COVID-19 bivalent vaccination for persons ≥12 years old using the 50-μg mRNA-1273.214 vaccine combining SARS-CoV-2 ancestral and omicron BA.1 strains. We estimated effectiveness of this bivalent vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 infection using a matched, retrospective, cohort study. Matched cohorts included 11,482 persons in the bivalent cohort and 56,806 persons in the no-recent-vaccination cohort. During follow-up, 65 infections were recorded in the bivalent cohort and 406 were recorded in the no-recent-vaccination cohort. None progressed to severe, critical, or fatal COVID-19. Cumulative incidence of infection was 0.80% (95% CI: 0.61-1.07%) in the bivalent cohort and 1.00% (95% CI: 0.89-1.11%) in the no-recent-vaccination cohort, 150 days after the start of follow-up. Incidence during follow-up was dominated by omicron XBB* subvariants including XBB, XBB.1, XBB.1.5, XBB.1.9.1, XBB.1.9.2, XBB.1.16, and XBB.2.3. The adjusted hazard ratio comparing incidence of infection in the bivalent cohort to that in the no-recent-vaccination cohort was 0.75 (95% CI: 0.57-0.97). Bivalent vaccine effectiveness against infection was 25.2% (95% CI: 2.6-42.6%). Effectiveness was 21.5% (95% CI: -8.2-43.5%) among persons with no prior infection and 33.3% (95% CI: -4.6-57.6%) among persons with prior infection. mRNA-1273.214 reduced incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection, but the protection was modest at only 25%. The modest protection may have risen because of XBB* immune evasion or immune imprinting effects, or combination of both.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Bivalent mRNA-1273.214 vaccine effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2 omicron XBB* infections
• Hybrid use of Raman spectroscopy and artificial neural networks to discriminate Mycobacterium bovis BCG and members of the order Mycobacteriales -
  Even in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, Tuberculosis (TB) continues to be a major public health problem and the 2nd biggest infectious cause of death worldwide. There is, therefore, an urgent need to develop effective TB diagnostic methods, which are cheap, portable, sensitive and specific. Raman spectroscopy is a potential spectroscopic technique for this purpose, however, so far, research efforts have focused primarily on the characterisation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and other Mycobacteria, neglecting bacteria within the microbiome and thus, failing to consider the bigger picture. It is paramount to characterise relevant Mycobacteriales and develop suitable analytical tools to discriminate them from each other. Herein, through the combined use of Raman spectroscopy and the self-optimising Kohonen index network and further multivariate tools, we have successfully undertaken the spectral analysis of Mycobacterium bovis BCG, Corynebacterium glutamicum and Rhodoccocus erythropolis. This has led to development of a useful tool set, which can readily discern spectral differences between these three closely related bacteria as well as generate a unique spectral barcode for each species. Further optimisation and refinement of the developed method will enable its application to other bacteria. inhabiting the microbiome and ultimately lead to advanced diagnostic technologies, which can save many lives.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Hybrid use of Raman spectroscopy and artificial neural networks to discriminate Mycobacterium bovis BCG and members of the order Mycobacteriales
• Mortality among people hospitalised with covid-19 in Switzerland: a nationwide population-based analysis -
  Objectives: To investigate mortality among people hospitalised with covid-19 in Switzerland according to epidemic wave, age, sex, comorbid conditions and intensive care unit (ICU) occupancy. Design: Population-based, national study. Setting: Mandatory surveillance reports from all hospitals in Switzerland. Participants: All 22,648 people who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection and were hospitalised between February 24, 2020 and March 01, 2021 in Switzerland with complete information about age, sex, and comorbidities. Main outcome measures: Survival after positive SARS-CoV-2 test among people hospitalised with covid-19 by epidemic wave, age, sex, comorbid conditions and ICU occupancy, expressed as adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) of death and probability of survival over time and at 40 days, all with 95% credible intervals (CrI). Results: Of 22,648 people hospitalised with covid-19, 4,785 (21.1%) died. Bayesian survival models adjusted for age, sex, and the presence of comorbidity showed that survival was lower during the first epidemic wave than the second (standardised predicted survival probability at 40 days 76.1% versus 80.5%; aHR of death 1.38, 95% CrI 1.28 to 1.48). During the second epidemic wave, occupancy among all available ICU beds (certified beds and add-on beds) in Switzerland varied between 51.7% and 78.8%. Modelling the association between survival and ICU occupancy with restricted cubic splines indicated stable survival when ICU occupancy was below 70%, but worse survival when ICU occupancy exceeded 70%. This threshold of 70% occupancy among total available ICU beds corresponded to around 85% occupancy among certified beds. Survival was decreased for men, older people, and patients with comorbid conditions. Comorbid conditions reduced survival more in younger people than in older people. As single comorbid condition, hypertension was not associated with poorer survival, but appeared to increase the risk of death in combination with a cardiovascular disease. Conclusion: Survival after hospitalisation with covid-19 has improved over time, consistent with improved management of severe covid-19. The decreased survival starting at approximately 70% ICU occupancy in Switzerland supports the need to introduce measures for prevention and control of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in the population far before ICUs are full.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Mortality among people hospitalised with covid-19 in Switzerland: a nationwide population-based analysis
• Societal feedback induces complex and chaotic dynamics in endemic infectious diseases -

  Classically, endemic diseases are expected to display relatively stable, predictable infection dynamics. Indeed, diseases like influenza show yearly recurring infection waves that can be anticipated accurately enough to develop and distribute new vaccines. In contrast, newly-emerging diseases may cause more complex, unpredictable dynamics, like COVID-19 has demonstrated. Here we show that complex infection dynamics can also occur in the endemic state of seasonal diseases when including human behaviour. We implement human behaviour as a feedback between incidence and disease mitigation and study the system as an epidemiological oscillator driven by seasonality. When behaviour and seasonality have a comparable impact, we find a rich structure in parameter and state space with Arnold tongues, co-existing attractors, and chaos. Moreover, we demonstrate that if a disease requires active mitigation, balancing costs of mitigation and infections can lead societies right into this complex regime. We observe indications of this when comparing past COVID-19 and influenza data to model simulations. Our results challenge the intuition that endemicity implies predictability and seasonal waves, and show that complex dynamics can dominate even in the endemic phase.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Societal feedback induces complex and chaotic dynamics in endemic infectious diseases
• Antiviral activities of sotrovimab against BQ.1.1 and XBB.1.5 in sera of treated patients -

  Background Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) targeting the spike of SARS-CoV-2 prevent severe COVID-19. Omicron subvariants BQ.1.1 and XBB.1.5 evade neutralization of therapeutic mAbs, leading to recommendations against their use. Yet, the antiviral activities of mAbs in treated patients remain ill-defined. Methods We investigated neutralization and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) of D614G, BQ.1.1 and XBB.1.5 in 320 sera from 80 immunocompromised patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 prospectively treated with mAbs (sotrovimab, n=29; imdevimab/casirivimab, n=34; cilgavimab/tixagevimab, n=4) or anti-protease (nirmatrelvir/ritonavir, n=13). We measured live-virus neutralization titers and quantified ADCC with a reporter assay. Findings Only Sotrovimab elicits serum neutralization and ADCC against BQ.1.1 and XBB.1.5. As compared to D614G, sotrovimab neutralization titers of BQ.1.1 and XBB.1.5 are reduced (71- and 58-fold, respectively), but ADCC levels are only slightly decreased (1.4- and 1-fold, for BQ.1.1 and XBB.1.5, respectively). Interpretation Our results show that sotrovimab is active against BQ.1.1 and XBB.1.5 in treated individuals, suggesting that it may be a valuable therapeutic option.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Antiviral activities of sotrovimab against BQ.1.1 and XBB.1.5 in sera of treated patients
• Infection by SARS-CoV-2 with alternate frequencies of mRNA vaccine boosting for patients undergoing antineoplastic treatment for cancer -

  Patients undergoing antineoplastic therapies often exhibit reduced immune response to COVID-19 vaccination, necessitating assessment of alternate boosting frequencies for these patients. However, data on reinfection risks to guide clinical decision-making is limited. We quantified reinfection risks of SARS-CoV-2 at different mRNA boosting frequencies of patients on antineoplastic therapies. Antibody levels following Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 vaccination were analyzed for patients without cancer, with cancer undergoing various treatments, and treated with different antineoplastic therapeutics. Using long-term antibody data from other coronaviruses in an evolutionary framework, we estimated infection probabilities based on antibody levels and projected waning. We calculated cumulative probabilities of breakthrough infection for alternate booster schedules over two years. Annual boosting reduced risks for targeted or hormonal treatments, immunotherapy, and chemotherapy-immunotherapy combinations similarly to the general population. Patients receiving no treatment or chemotherapy exhibited higher risks, suggesting that accelerated vaccination schedules should be considered. Patients treated with rituximab therapy posed the highest infection risk, suggesting that a combination of frequent boosting and additional interventions may be warranted for mitigating SARS-CoV-2 infection in these patients.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Infection by SARS-CoV-2 with alternate frequencies of mRNA vaccine boosting for patients undergoing antineoplastic treatment for cancer
• Incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection and associated risk factors among staff and residents at homeless shelters in King County, Washington: an active surveillance study -

  Homeless shelter residents and staff may be at higher risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, SARS-CoV-2 infection estimates in this population have been reliant on cross-sectional or outbreak investigation data. We conducted routine surveillance and outbreak testing in 23 homeless shelters in King County, Washington to estimate the occurrence of laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and risk factors during 1/1/2020-5/31/2021. Symptom surveys and nasal swabs were collected for SARS-CoV-2 testing by RT-PCR for residents aged 3 months and older and staff. We collected 12,915 specimens from 2,930 unique participants. We identified 4.74 (95% CI 4.00-5.58) SARS-CoV-2 infections per 100 individuals (residents: 4.96, 95% CI 4.12-5.91; staff: 3.86, 95% CI 2.43-5.79). Most infections were asymptomatic at time of detection (74%) and detected during routine surveillance (73%). Outbreak testing yielded higher test positivity compared to routine surveillance (2.7% vs. 0.9%). Among those infected, residents were less likely to report symptoms than staff. Participants who were vaccinated against seasonal influenza and were current smokers had lower odds of having an infection detected. Active surveillance that includes SARS-CoV-2 testing of all persons is essential in ascertaining the true burden of SARS-CoV-2 infections among residents and staff of congregate settings.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection and associated risk factors among staff and residents at homeless shelters in King County, Washington: an active surveillance study
• Point-of-Care Biomarker Assay for Rapid Multiplexed Detection of CRP and IP-10 -

  Rapid and accurate measurements of immune protein markers are essential for diagnosis and treatment in all clinical settings. The recent pandemic has revealed a stark need for developing new tools and assays that could be rapidly used in diverse settings and provide useful information to clinicians. Here, we describe the development and test application of a novel one-step CRP/IP-10 duplex assay for the LightDeck platform capable of delivering reproducible and accurate measurements in under eight minutes. We used the optimized assay to measure CRP and IP-10 levels in human blood and serum samples from healthy, COVID-19-positive, and influenza-like illness (ILI) presenting patients. Our results agreed with previously published analyte levels and enabled us to make statistically significant comparisons relevant to multiple clinical parameters. Our duplex assay is a simple and powerful tool for aiding diagnostic decisions in diverse settings.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Point-of-Care Biomarker Assay for Rapid Multiplexed Detection of CRP and IP-10
• A distinct cross-reactive autoimmune response in multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) -

  Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is a severe, post-infectious sequela of SARS-CoV-2 infection, yet the pathophysiological mechanism connecting the infection to the broad inflammatory syndrome remains unknown. Here we leveraged a large set of MIS-C patient samples (n=199) to identify a distinct set of host proteins that are differentially targeted by patient autoantibodies relative to matched controls. We identified an autoreactive epitope within SNX8, a protein expressed primarily in immune cells which regulates an antiviral pathway associated with MIS-C pathogenesis. In parallel, we also probed the SARS-CoV-2 proteome-wide MIS-C patient antibody response and found it to be differentially reactive to a distinct domain of the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid (N) protein relative to controls. This viral N region and the mapped SNX8 epitope bear remarkable biochemical similarity. Furthermore, we find that many children with anti-SNX8 autoantibodies also have T-cells cross-reactive to both SNX8 and this distinct domain of the SARS-CoV-2 N protein. Together, these findings suggest that MIS-C patients develop a distinct immune response against the SARS-CoV-2 N protein that is associated with cross reactivity to the self-protein SNX8, demonstrating a link from the infection to the inflammatory syndrome.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: A distinct cross-reactive autoimmune response in multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C)

From Clinical Trials

• Investigation of the Effect on Cognitive Skills of COVID-19 Survivors - Condition:   COVID-19
  Intervention:   Other: green walking and intelligence gam
  Sponsors:   Bayburt University;   Karadeniz Technical University
  Completed

• The Effect of Special Discharge Training in the COVID-19 - Condition:   COVID-19 Pneumonia
  Intervention:   Other: COVID-19 Discharge Education
  Sponsor:   Kilis 7 Aralik University
  Completed

• Evaluation of Safety, Tolerability, Reactogenicity, Immunogenicity of Baiya SARS-CoV-2 Vax 2 as a Booster for COVID-19 - Conditions:   COVID-19 Vaccine;   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Biological: 50 μg Baiya SARS-CoV-2 Vax 2;   Other: Placebo
  Sponsor:   Baiya Phytopharm Co., Ltd.
  Not yet recruiting

• Physiotherapy in Mutated COVID-19 Patients - Condition:   COVID-19 Pandemic
  Intervention:   Behavioral: Physiotherapy
  Sponsor:   Giresun University
  Completed

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

• To Explore the Regulatory Effect of Combined Capsule FMT on the Levels of Inflammatory Factors in Peripheral Blood of Patients With COVID-19 During Treatment. - Conditions:   Fecal Microbiota Transplantation;   COVID-19 Infection
  Intervention:   Procedure: Fecal microbiota transplantation
  Sponsor:   Shanghai 10th People’s Hospital
  Completed

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

• Telerehabilitation Program and Detraining in Patients With Post-COVID-19 Sequelae - Condition:   COVID-19 Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome
  Intervention:   Other: Telerehabilitation program
  Sponsor:   Campus docent Sant Joan de Déu-Universitat de Barcelona
  Completed

• COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake Amongst Underserved Populations in East London - Conditions:   COVID-19;   Influenza;   Vaccination Refusal
  Intervention:   Device: Patient Engagement tool
  Sponsors:   Queen Mary University of London;   Social Action for Health
  Not yet recruiting

• Phase 3 Study of Novavax Vaccine(s) as Booster Dose After mRNA Vaccines - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Biological: NVX-CoV2373;   Biological: SARS-CoV-2 rS antigen/Matrix-M Adjuvant
  Sponsor:   Novavax
  Active, not recruiting

• Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Monoclonal Antibodies for Long COVID (COVID-19) - Conditions:   Long COVID;   Post-Acute Sequela of COVID-19;   Post-Acute COVID-19
  Interventions:   Drug: AER002;   Other: Placebo
  Sponsors:   Michael Peluso, MD;   Aerium Therapeutics
  Not yet recruiting

• Study to Assess Safety, Reactogenicity and Immunogenicity of the repRNA(QTP104) Vaccine Against SARS-CoV-2(COVID-19) - Conditions:   COVID-19;   SARS-CoV-2
  Interventions:   Biological: QTP104 1ug;   Biological: QTP104 5ug;   Biological: QTP104 25ug
  Sponsor:   Quratis Inc.
  Active, not recruiting

• Dose Exploration Intramuscular/Intravenous Prophylaxis Pharmacokinetic Exposure Response Study - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Drug: AZD3152;   Other: Placebo
  Sponsor:   AstraZeneca
  Recruiting

• Effects of Individual Tailored Physical Exercise in Patients With POTS After COVID-19 - a Randomized Controlled Study - Conditions:   Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome;   COVID-19;   Post COVID-19 Condition;   Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome
  Intervention:   Other: Individual tailored exercise
  Sponsors:   Karolinska Institutet;   Karolinska University Hospital
  Enrolling by invitation

• Fluvoxamine for Long COVID-19 - Condition:   Long COVID
  Intervention:   Drug: Fluvoxamine
  Sponsors:   Washington University School of Medicine;   Balvi COVID Fund
  Recruiting

From PubMed

• Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of peptidomimetic benzothiazolyl ketones as 3CL^pro inhibitors against SARS-CoV-2 - A series of peptidomimetic compounds containing benzothiazolyl ketone and [2.2.1] azabicyclic ring was designed, synthesized and evaluated in the hope of obtaining potent oral 3CL^(pro) inhibitors with improved pharmacokinetic properties. Among the target compounds, 11b had the best enzymatic potency (IC(50) = 0.110 μM) and 11e had the best microsomal stability (t(1/2) > 120 min) and good enzyme activity (IC(50) = 0.868 μM). Therefore, compounds 11b and 11e were chosen for further evaluation of…

• An HR2-Mimicking Sulfonyl-γ-AApeptide Is a Potent Pan-coronavirus Fusion Inhibitor with Strong Blood-Brain Barrier Permeability, Long Half-Life, and Promising Oral Bioavailability - Neutralizing antibodies and fusion inhibitory peptides have the potential required to combat the global pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 and its variants. However, the lack of oral bioavailability and enzymatic susceptibility limited their application, necessitating the development of novel pan-CoV fusion inhibitors. Herein we report a series of helical peptidomimetics, d-sulfonyl-γ-AApeptides, which effectively mimic the key residues of heptad repeat 2 and interact with heptad repeat 1 in the…

• Insights into targeting SARS-CoV-2: design, synthesis, in silico studies and antiviral evaluation of new dimethylxanthine derivatives - Aiming to achieve efficient activity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), the expansion of the structure- and ligand-based drug design approaches was adopted, which has been recently reported by our research group. Purine ring is a corner stone in the development of SARS-CoV-2 main protease (M(pro)) inhibitors. The privileged purine scaffold was elaborated to achieve additional affinity based on hybridization and fragment-based approaches. Thus, the characteristic…

• Immunogenicity and safety of COVID-19 BNT162b2 booster vaccine in end-stage kidney disease patients receiving haemodialysis in Yogyakarta, Indonesia: a cohort prospective study - CONCLUSIONS: The majority of ESKD patients on haemodialysis mounted a good antibody response to the BNT162b2 booster vaccination with tolerable adverse events.

• Capture and neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 and influenza virus by algae-derived lectins with high-mannose and core fucose specificities - We first investigated the interactions between several algae-derived lectins and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). We created lectin columns using high-mannose (HM)-type glycan-specific lectins OAA and KAA-1 or core fucose-specific lectin hypninA-2 and conducted binding experiments with SARS-CoV-2. The results showed that these lectins were capable of binding to the virus. Furthermore, when examining the neutralization ability of nine different lectins, it was found…

• Inflammation inhibitory activity of green tea, soybean, and guava extracts during Sars-Cov-2 infection through TNF protein in cytokine storm - Coronavirus disease is caused by the pathogen severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-Cov-2) known as COVID-19. COVID-19 has caused the deaths of 6,541,936 people worldwide as of September 27th, 2022. SARS-CoV-2 severity is determined by a cytokine storm condition, in which the innate immune system creates an unregulated and excessive production of pro-inflammatory such IL-1, IL-6, NF Kappa B, and TNF alpha signaling molecules known as cytokines. The patient died due to respiratory…

• Long Time Scale Ensemble Methods in Molecular Dynamics: Ligand-Protein Interactions and Allostery in SARS-CoV-2 Targets - We subject a series of five protein-ligand systems which contain important SARS-CoV-2 targets, 3-chymotrypsin-like protease (3CLPro), papain-like protease, and adenosine ribose phosphatase, to long time scale and adaptive sampling molecular dynamics simulations. By performing ensembles of ten or twelve 10 μs simulations for each system, we accurately and reproducibly determine ligand binding sites, both crystallographically resolved and otherwise, thereby discovering binding sites that can be…

• SARS-CoV-2 ORF3a sensitizes cells to ferroptosis via Keap1-NRF2 axis - Viral infection-induced cell death has long been considered as a double-edged sword in the inhibition or exacerbation of viral infections. Patients with severe Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) are characterized by multiple organ dysfunction syndrome and cytokine storm, which may result from SARS-CoV-2-induced cell death. Previous studies have observed enhanced ROS level and signs of ferroptosis in SARS-CoV-2 infected cells or specimens of patients with COVID-19, but the exact mechanism is not…

• Utilization of Marine Seaweeds as a Promising Defense Against COVID-19: a Mini-review - COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) which mainly affects the respiratory system. It has been declared as a “pandemic” in March 2020 by the World Health Organization due to the high spreading rate. SARS-CoV-2 binds with the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptors on the cell surface which leads to the downregulation of ACE2 and upregulation of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) receptors. The elevated level of…

• Identification of Host Proteins Interacting with IBV S1 Based on Tracheal Organ Culture - Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) belongs to the gamma-coronavirus genus of Coronaviridae and causes serious infectious diseases in the poultry industry. However, only a few IBV strains can infect avian passage cell lines, seriously hindering the progress of basic research on IBV pathogenesis. Whereas IBV field strains can replicate in tracheal ring organ culture (TOC) without any previous adaptation in chicken embryos or primary cells. In this study, to investigate the potential use of TOC as…

• Transcription Factor Driven Gene Regulation in COVID-19 Patients - SARS-CoV-2 and its many variants have caused a worldwide emergency. Host cells colonised by SARS-CoV-2 present a significantly different gene expression landscape. As expected, this is particularly true for genes that directly interact with virus proteins. Thus, understanding the role that transcription factors can play in driving differential regulation in patients affected by COVID-19 is a focal point to unveil virus infection. In this regard, we have identified 19 transcription factors which…

• Genes Involved in miRNA Biogenesis Are Not Downregulated in SARS-CoV-2 Infection - miRNAs, small non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression, are involved in various pathological processes, including viral infections. Virus infections may interfere with the miRNA pathway through the inhibition of genes involved in miRNA biogenesis. A reduction in the number and the levels of miRNAs expressed in nasopharyngeal swabs of patients with severe COVID-19 was lately observed by us, pointing towards the potential of miRNAs as possible diagnostic or prognostic biomarkers for…

• In Silico and In Vitro Evaluation of Some Amidine Derivatives as Hit Compounds towards Development of Inhibitors against Coronavirus Diseases - Coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV and influenza A virus, require the host proteases to mediate viral entry into cells. Rather than targeting the continuously mutating viral proteins, targeting the conserved host-based entry mechanism could offer advantages. Nafamostat and camostat were discovered as covalent inhibitors of TMPRSS2 protease involved in viral entry. To circumvent their limitations, a reversible inhibitor might be required. Considering nafamostat structure and…

• The Dimeric Peptide (KKYRYHLKPF)₂K Shows Broad-Spectrum Antiviral Activity by Inhibiting Different Steps of Chikungunya and Zika Virus Infection - Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) and Zika virus (ZIKV) are important disease-causing agents worldwide. Currently, there are no antiviral drugs or vaccines approved to treat these viruses. However, peptides have shown great potential for new drug development. A recent study described (p-BthTX-I)(2)K [(KKYRYHLKPF)(2)K], a peptide derived from the Bothropstoxin-I toxin in the venom of the Bothrops jararacussu snake, showed antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2. In this study, we assessed the activity of…

• GRP78 Inhibitor YUM70 Suppresses SARS-CoV-2 Viral Entry, Spike Protein Production and Ameliorates Lung Damage - The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of the COVID-19 pandemic, has given rise to many new variants with increased transmissibility and the ability to evade vaccine protection. The 78-kDa glucose-regulated protein (GRP78) is a major endoplasmic reticulum (ER) chaperone that has been recently implicated as an essential host factor for SARS-CoV-2 entry and infection. In this study, we investigated the efficacy of YUM70, a small molecule inhibitor of…

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