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Dyu T, Leung C, Simões-E-Silva AC. Effectiveness of AstraZeneca vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 (ChAdox1-S) in reducing in-hospital mortality in individuals with COVID-19 and schizophrenia: A retrospective cohort study. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2024; 20:2379865. [PMID: 39056147 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2024.2379865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2024] [Revised: 07/01/2024] [Accepted: 07/10/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
ChAdOx1-S is a viral vector vaccine developed by AstraZeneca. We aimed to assess the effectiveness of 1 and 2 doses of the ChAdOx1-S vaccine in reducing COVID-19-related in-hospital mortality in individuals with schizophrenia. This is a retrospective cohort study using a nationwide hospital database in Brazil. Individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 and schizophrenia were included in the study. The exposures were 0, 1, and 2 doses of ChAdOx1-S. The outcome of mortality was measured in hazard ratios (HR), calculated using multivariable Cox regression models. The study included 1,929 positive cases of COVID-19 in schizophrenia patients. After adjusting for age, socioeconomic factors, and comorbidities, we observed a significant 55% decrease in the hazard of mortality in the 2-dose vaccination group (HR 0.45, 95% CI: 0.310-0.652) compared to the unvaccinated. Surprisingly, our results did not show any significant reduction in the hazard of mortality in the 1 dose vaccination group (HR 1.278, 95% CI: 0.910-1.795). The effectiveness of two doses of ChAdOx1-S in individuals with schizophrenia aligns with findings from studies on the general population. That one dose was insignificant. Overall, these findings are important for informing public health decisions - prioritizing individuals with schizophrenia for vaccinations and managing acceptance of vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiffany Dyu
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - Char Leung
- Department of Population Health Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
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Dings C, Selzer D, Bragazzi NL, Möhler E, Wenning M, Gehrke T, Richter U, Nonnenmacher A, Brinkmann F, Rothoeft T, Zemlin M, Lücke T, Lehr T. Effect of vaccinations and school restrictions on the spread of COVID-19 in different age groups in Germany. Infect Dis Model 2024; 9:1250-1264. [PMID: 39183948 PMCID: PMC11342094 DOI: 10.1016/j.idm.2024.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2024] [Revised: 07/20/2024] [Accepted: 07/23/2024] [Indexed: 08/27/2024] Open
Abstract
With the emergence of SARS-CoV-2, various non-pharmaceutical interventions were adopted to control virus transmission, including school closures. Subsequently, the introduction of vaccines mitigated not only disease severity but also the spread of SARS-CoV-2. This study leveraged an adapted SIR model and non-linear mixed-effects modeling to quantify the impact of remote learning, school holidays, the emergence of Variants of Concern (VOCs), and the role of vaccinations in controlling SARS-CoV-2 spread across 16 German federal states with an age-stratified approach. Findings highlight a significant inverse correlation (Spearman's ρ = -0.92, p < 0.001) between vaccination rates and peak incidence rates across all age groups. Model-parameter estimation using the observed number of cases stratified by federal state and age allowed to assess the effects of school closure and holidays, considering adjustments for vaccinations and spread of VOCs over time. Here, modeling revealed significant (p < 0.001) differences in the virus's spread among pre-school children (0-4), children (5-11), adolescents (12-17), adults (18-59), and the elderly (60+). The transition to remote learning emerged as a critical measure in significantly reducing infection rates among children and adolescents (p < 0.001), whereas an increased infection risk was noted among the elderly during these periods, suggesting a shift in infection networks due to altered caregiving roles. Conversely, during school holiday periods, infection rates among adolescents mirrored those observed when schools were open. Simulation exercises based on the model provided evidence that COVID-19 vaccinations might serve a dual purpose: they protect the vaccinated individuals and contribute to the broader community's safety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christiane Dings
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Saarland University, 66123, Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Dominik Selzer
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Saarland University, 66123, Saarbrücken, Germany
| | | | - Eva Möhler
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Saarland University Hospital, 66421, Homburg, Germany
| | - Markus Wenning
- Medical Association, Westfalen-Lippe, 48151, Münster, Germany
| | - Thomas Gehrke
- Medical Association, Westfalen-Lippe, 48151, Münster, Germany
| | - Ulf Richter
- School of Education and Psychology, Siegen University, 57072, Siegen, Germany
| | | | - Folke Brinkmann
- University Children's Hospital, Ruhr University, 44791, Bochum, Germany
- University Children's Hospital, Airway Research Center North (ARCN), German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Lübeck, Germany
| | - Tobias Rothoeft
- University Children's Hospital, Ruhr University, 44791, Bochum, Germany
| | - Michael Zemlin
- Department of General Pediatrics and Neonatology, Saarland University Hospital, 66421, Homburg, Germany
| | - Thomas Lücke
- Medical Association, Westfalen-Lippe, 48151, Münster, Germany
- University Children's Hospital, Ruhr University, 44791, Bochum, Germany
| | - Thorsten Lehr
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Saarland University, 66123, Saarbrücken, Germany
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Attiq A, Afzal S, Wahab HA, Ahmad W, Kandeel M, Almofti YA, Alameen AO, Wu YS. Cytokine Storm-Induced Thyroid Dysfunction in COVID-19: Insights into Pathogenesis and Therapeutic Approaches. Drug Des Devel Ther 2024; 18:4215-4240. [PMID: 39319193 PMCID: PMC11421457 DOI: 10.2147/dddt.s475005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2024] [Accepted: 08/26/2024] [Indexed: 09/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptors (ACE2R) are requisite to enter the host cells for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). ACE2R is constitutive and functions as a type I transmembrane metallo-carboxypeptidase in the renin-angiotensin system (RAS). On thyroid follicular cells, ACE2R allows SARS-CoV-2 to invade the thyroid gland, impose cytopathic effects and produce endocrine abnormalities, including stiff back, neck pain, muscle ache, lethargy, and enlarged, inflamed thyroid gland in COVID-19 patients. Further damage is perpetuated by the sudden bursts of pro-inflammatory cytokines, which is suggestive of a life-threatening syndrome known as a "cytokine storm". IL-1β, IL-6, IFN-γ, and TNF-α are identified as the key orchestrators of the cytokine storm. These inflammatory mediators upregulate transcriptional turnover of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT), and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), paving the pathway for cytokine storm-induced thyroid dysfunctions including euthyroid sick syndrome, autoimmune thyroid diseases, and thyrotoxicosis in COVID-19 patients. Targeted therapies with corticosteroids (dexamethasone), JAK inhibitor (baricitinib), nucleotide analogue (remdesivir) and N-acetyl-cysteine have demonstrated effectiveness in terms of attenuating the severity and frequency of cytokine storm-induced thyroid dysfunctions, morbidity and mortality in severe COVID-19 patients. Here, we review the pathogenesis of cytokine storms and the mechanisms and pathways that establish the connection between thyroid disorder and COVID-19. Moreover, cross-talk interactions of signalling pathways and therapeutic strategies to address COVID-19-associated thyroid diseases are also discussed herein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Attiq
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Gelugor, Penang, 11800, Malaysia
| | - Sheryar Afzal
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, King Faisal University, Al Ahsa, 31982, Saudi Arabia
| | - Habibah A Wahab
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Gelugor, Penang, 11800, Malaysia
| | - Waqas Ahmad
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Gelugor, Penang, 11800, Malaysia
| | - Mahmoud Kandeel
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, King Faisal University, Al Ahsa, 31982, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafrel Sheikh, 6860404, Egypt
| | - Yassir A Almofti
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, King Faisal University, Al Ahsa, 31982, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bahri, Khartoum, 12217, Sudan
| | - Ahmed O Alameen
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, King Faisal University, Al Ahsa, 31982, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Khartoum, Shambat, 13314, Sudan
| | - Yuan Seng Wu
- Sunway Microbiome Centre, School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, Subang Jaya, Selangor, 47500, Malaysia
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, Subang Jaya, Selangor, 47500, Malaysia
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Zhu J, Liu G, Sayyad Z, Goins CM, Stauffer SR, Gack MU. ISGylation of the SARS-CoV-2 N protein by HERC5 impedes N oligomerization and thereby viral RNA synthesis. J Virol 2024; 98:e0086924. [PMID: 39194248 PMCID: PMC11406920 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00869-24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2024] [Accepted: 07/20/2024] [Indexed: 08/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Interferon (IFN)-stimulated gene 15 (ISG15), a ubiquitin-like protein, is covalently conjugated to host immune proteins such as MDA5 and IRF3 in a process called ISGylation, thereby promoting type I IFN induction to limit the replication of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). However, whether SARS-CoV-2 proteins can be directly targeted for ISGylation remains elusive. In this study, we identified the nucleocapsid (N) protein of SARS-CoV-2 as a major substrate of ISGylation catalyzed by the host E3 ligase HERC5; however, N ISGylation is readily removed through deISGylation by the papain-like protease (PLpro) activity of NSP3. Mass spectrometry analysis identified that the N protein undergoes ISGylation at four lysine residues (K266, K355, K387, and K388), and mutational analysis of these sites in the context of a SARS-CoV-2 replicon (N-4KR) abolished N ISGylation and alleviated ISGylation-mediated inhibition of viral RNA synthesis. Furthermore, our results indicated that HERC5 targets preferentially phosphorylated N protein for ISGylation to regulate its oligomeric assembly. These findings reveal a novel mechanism by which the host ISGylation machinery directly targets SARS-CoV-2 proteins to restrict viral replication and illuminate how an intricate interplay of host (HERC5) and viral (PLpro) enzymes coordinates viral protein ISGylation and thereby regulates virus replication.IMPORTANCEThe role of protein ISGylation in regulating host cellular processes has been studied extensively; however, how ISG15 conjugation influences the activity of viral proteins, particularly coronaviral proteins, is largely unknown. Our study uncovered that the nucleocapsid (N) protein of SARS-CoV-2 is ISGylated by the HERC5 ISGylation machinery and that this modification impedes the functional assembly of N into oligomers ultimately inhibiting viral RNA synthesis. This antiviral restriction mechanism is antagonized by the PLpro deISGylation activity of SARS-CoV-2 NSP3. This study deepens our understanding of SARS-CoV-2 protein regulation by posttranslational modifications and may open new avenues for designing antiviral strategies for COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junji Zhu
- Florida Research and Innovation Center, Cleveland Clinic, Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA
| | - GuanQun Liu
- Florida Research and Innovation Center, Cleveland Clinic, Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Zuberwasim Sayyad
- Florida Research and Innovation Center, Cleveland Clinic, Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA
| | - Christopher M Goins
- Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Shaun R Stauffer
- Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Michaela U Gack
- Florida Research and Innovation Center, Cleveland Clinic, Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA
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Odegard M, Keane OA, Ourshalimian SA, Kim E, Kelley-Quon LI. Emergency Abdominal Surgery in Children With COVID-19: A National Surgical Quality Improvement Program-Pediatric Propensity Score Matched Analysis. J Surg Res 2024; 301:439-446. [PMID: 39033594 DOI: 10.1016/j.jss.2024.06.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2024] [Revised: 05/01/2024] [Accepted: 06/23/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Evidence suggests that coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) infection is associated with increased perioperative mortality in adults. We hypothesized that children with COVID-19 had worse outcomes after emergency surgery compared to children without COVID-19. METHODS Children <18 y who underwent emergency abdominal surgery were included in the 2021 National Surgical Quality Improvement Program-Pediatric database. Children with COVID-19 diagnosed preoperatively were identified. A propensity score-matched analysis was performed, matching demographic and clinical factors. Postoperative morbidity and mortality were assessed. Due to event rarity, a composite outcome for postoperative morbidity was also assessed. Chi-square and Mann-Whitney U tests identified differences between groups. Logistic regression identified the odds of the composite morbidity outcome. RESULTS Overall, 13,619 children (median age 10.8 y, interquartile range: 6.4-14.2) underwent emergency abdominal surgery, of whom 224 (1.6%) had COVID-19. The majority were female (58.2%), White (61.3%), and non-Hispanic (53.4%). On unadjusted analysis, there was an association between COVID-19 status and American Society of Anesthesiologists classification (P < 0.01). A greater proportion of COVID-19-positive children had dirty/infected wounds (30.4% versus 22.2%, P < 0.01). Also, a greater proportion of COVID-19-positive children suffered cardiac arrest requiring cardiopulmonary resuscitation (1.3% versus 0.2%, P < 0.01). Matched cohorts of 224 COVID-19-positive and 224 COVID-19-negative children did not differ by demographic or clinical factors (P > 0.05). Propensity score matching did not reveal significant differences in postoperative morbidity or mortality. Children with COVID-19 did not demonstrate increased odds of morbidity analyzed as a composite outcome (odds ratio: 0.65, 95% confidence interval: 0.29-1.48, P = 0.31). CONCLUSIONS Contrary to findings in adults, COVID-19 was not associated with worse clinical outcomes in children undergoing emergency abdominal surgery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marjorie Odegard
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; Department of Surgery, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
| | - Olivia A Keane
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; Department of Surgery, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California.
| | - Shadassa A Ourshalimian
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; Department of Surgery, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
| | - Eugene Kim
- Division of Pain Medicine, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
| | - Lorraine I Kelley-Quon
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; Department of Surgery, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California; Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
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Mathew LR, Gopakumar K. Improving the Quality and Intelligibility of Electrolaryngeal Speech during Mobile Communication with Landline Analogous Bandpass Filtering. J Voice 2024; 38:1247.e1-1247.e13. [PMID: 35430122 DOI: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2022.02.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Revised: 02/27/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The normal functioning of the larynx or voicebox gives humans the ability to converse with others effortlessly. However, if the larynx is permanently removed due to injury or illness, speech cannot be produced. The electrolarynx, a noninvasive device used to produce speech for such persons, has a motor-induced hum which hinders telephone-based communication among electrolaryngeal speakers. This adversely affects the morale of electrolarynx users, leading to abandonment of technology, psychological issues and decreased quality of life. This paper examines a technique based on bandpass filtering of electrolaryngeal speech which has the potential of increasing the quality and intelligibility of speech produced by means of an electrolarynx. Finite impulse response and infinite impulse response filtering with bandpass frequencies analogous to telephone landline and wideband filtering were investigated. Objective testing and subjective testing of quality and intelligibility of electrolaryngeal speech have been performed in each phase of the work. Statistical analysis based on one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) has been conducted after each round of subjective testing. Results indicate that the quality as well as intelligibility of electrolaryngeal speech can be improved with the help of bandpass filtering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lani Rachel Mathew
- Dept. of Electronics & Communication, Mar Baselios College of Engineering & Technology, LBS Center for Science and Technology, University of Kerala, Kerala,India.
| | - K Gopakumar
- APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University, Kerala, India
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Pathare N, MacPhail D. Physical therapy management of an individual with post-COVID fatigue considering emotional health in an outpatient setting: A case report. Physiother Theory Pract 2024; 40:2160-2170. [PMID: 37323003 DOI: 10.1080/09593985.2023.2225185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Revised: 05/12/2023] [Accepted: 05/29/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE The purpose of this case report is to provide a plan of care with an emphasis on patient education and consideration of emotional health for a patient with post-COVID fatigue in an outpatient setting. CASE DESCRIPTION A 50-year-old woman, ten-weeks post-COVID syndrome, participated in an examination that revealed deficits in exercise capacity, strength, breathing pattern, mild depression, emotional breakdown, and mild anxiety accompanied by "brain fog" with activity. Her primary complaint was fatigue with ordinary activities around her home that impeded her from returning to work. On examination, scores included six-minute walk test distance (6MWD): 79.5 m, UCSD Shortness of Breath Questionnaire (SOBQ): 72/120, and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9): 6/27. The patient participated in 20 biweekly sessions with a focus on patient education, supporting emotional health, aerobic training, strengthening exercises, breathing exercises, and home exercise program. OUTCOMES At discharge, the patient's exercise capacity, muscle strength, dyspnea, and depression improved, beyond the MCID/MID values, 6MWD: 335 m, SOBQ: 34/120; and PHQ-9 :1/27. The patient had no anxiety with activity and reported confidence to resume activities, allowing her to return to work safely. CONCLUSION Following an intervention that addressed emotional needs with physical symptoms, our patient with post-COVID fatigue showed substantial improvements in exercise capacity, muscle strength, dyspnea, and depression. This highlights the consideration of psychosocial well-being in our plan of care for this population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neeti Pathare
- Doctor of Physical Therapy Program, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, USA
| | - Dylan MacPhail
- Department of Physical Therapy, Sunnyview Rehabilitation Hospital, Schenectady, NY, USA
- Department of Physical Therapy, Russell Sage College, Troy, NY, USA
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Kori M, Kasavi C, Arga KY. Exploring COVID-19 Pandemic Disparities with Transcriptomic Meta-analysis from the Perspective of Personalized Medicine. J Microbiol 2024; 62:785-798. [PMID: 38980578 DOI: 10.1007/s12275-024-00154-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2024] [Revised: 06/06/2024] [Accepted: 06/17/2024] [Indexed: 07/10/2024]
Abstract
Infection with SARS-CoV2, which is responsible for COVID-19, can lead to differences in disease development, severity and mortality rates depending on gender, age or the presence of certain diseases. Considering that existing studies ignore these differences, this study aims to uncover potential differences attributable to gender, age and source of sampling as well as viral load using bioinformatics and multi-omics approaches. Differential gene expression analyses were used to analyse the phenotypic differences between SARS-CoV-2 patients and controls at the mRNA level. Pathway enrichment analyses were performed at the gene set level to identify the activated pathways corresponding to the differences in the samples. Drug repurposing analysis was performed at the protein level, focusing on host-mediated drug candidates to uncover potential therapeutic differences. Significant differences (i.e. the number of differentially expressed genes and their characteristics) were observed for COVID-19 at the mRNA level depending on the sample source, gender and age of the samples. The results of the pathway enrichment show that SARS-CoV-2 can be combated more effectively in the respiratory tract than in the blood samples. Taking into account the different sample sources and their characteristics, different drug candidates were identified. Evaluating disease prediction, prevention and/or treatment strategies from a personalised perspective is crucial. In this study, we not only evaluated the differences in COVID-19 from a personalised perspective, but also provided valuable data for further experimental and clinical efforts. Our findings could shed light on potential pandemics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Medi Kori
- Institute of Health Sciences, Acibadem Mehmet Ali Aydinlar University, 34752, Istanbul, Turkey.
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Acibadem Mehmet Ali Aydinlar University, 34752, Istanbul, Turkey.
| | - Ceyda Kasavi
- Department of Bioengineering, Marmara University, 34722, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Kazim Yalcin Arga
- Department of Bioengineering, Marmara University, 34722, Istanbul, Turkey
- Genetic and Metabolic Diseases Research and Investigation Center, Marmara University, 34722, Istanbul, Turkey
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Ding H, Fan L, Zhang J, Gao G. Deep Learning-Based System Combining Chest X-Ray and Computerized Tomography Images for COVID-19 Diagnosis. Br J Hosp Med (Lond) 2024; 85:1-15. [PMID: 39212565 DOI: 10.12968/hmed.2024.0244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/04/2024]
Abstract
Aims/Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has highlighted the need for accurate and efficient diagnostic methods. This study aims to improve COVID-19 detection by integrating chest X-ray (CXR) and computerized tomography (CT) images using deep learning techniques, further improving diagnostic accuracy by using a combined imaging approach. Methods: The study used two publicly accessible databases, COVID-19 Questionnaires for Understanding the Exposure (COVID-QU-Ex) and Integrated Clinical and Translational Cancer Foundation (iCTCF), containing CXR and CT images, respectively. The proposed system employed convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for classification, specifically EfficientNet and ResNet architectures. The data underwent preprocessing steps, including image resizing, Gaussian noise addition, and data augmentation. The dataset was divided into training, validation, and test sets. Gradient-weighted Class Activation Mapping (Grad-CAM) was used for model interpretability. Results: The EfficientNet-based models outperformed the ResNet-based models across all metrics. The highest accuracy achieved was 99.44% for CXR images and 99.81% for CT images with EfficientNetB5. The models also demonstrated high precision, recall, and F1 scores. For statistical significance, the p-values were less than 0.05, indicating that the results are significant. Conclusion: Integrating CXR and CT images using deep learning significantly improves the accuracy of COVID-19 diagnosis. The EfficientNet-based models, with their superior feature extraction capabilities, show better performance than ResNet models. Grad-CAM Visualizations provide insights into the model's decision-making process, potentially reducing diagnostic errors and accelerating diagnosis processes. This approach can improve patient care and support healthcare systems in managing the pandemic more effectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Ding
- Department of Radiology, Ningbo No.2 Hospital, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China
| | - Lingyan Fan
- Department of Acute Infectious Diseases, Ningbo No.2 Hospital, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jingfeng Zhang
- Department of Radiology, Ningbo No.2 Hospital, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China
| | - Guosheng Gao
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Ningbo No.2 Hospital, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China
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Wang WJ, Tang HT, Ou SC, Shen WJ, Chen CY, Li YC, Chang SY, Chang WC, Hsueh PR, Huang ST, Hung MC. Novel SARS-CoV-2 inhibition properties of the anti-cancer Kang Guan Recipe herbal formula. Cancer Lett 2024; 604:217198. [PMID: 39197583 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2024.217198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2024] [Revised: 08/07/2024] [Accepted: 08/20/2024] [Indexed: 09/01/2024]
Abstract
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is a persistent challenge, with continued breakthrough infections despite vaccination efforts. This has spurred interest in alternative preventive measures, including dietary and herbal interventions. Previous research has demonstrated that herbal medicines can not only inhibit cancer progression but also combat viral infections, including COVID-19 by targeting SARS-CoV-2, indicating a multifaceted potential to address both viruses and cancer. Here, we found that the Kang Guan Recipe (KGR), a novel herbal medicine formula, associates with potent inhibition activity against the SARS-CoV-2 viral infection. We demonstrate that KGR exhibits inhibitory activity against several SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs). Mechanistically, we found that KGR can block the interaction of the viral spike and human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). Furthermore, we assessed the inhibitory effect of KGR on SARS-CoV-2 viral entry in vivo, observing that serum samples from healthy human subjects having taken KGR exhibited suppressive activity against SARS-CoV-2 variants. Our investigation provides valuable insights into the potential of KGR as a novel herbal-based preventive and therapeutic strategy against COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei-Jan Wang
- Department of Biological Science and Technology, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan; Research Center for Cancer Biology, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Hsuan-Ting Tang
- Department of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, 40402, Taiwan
| | - Shi-Chen Ou
- Department of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, 40402, Taiwan; School of Post Baccalaureate Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Wan-Jou Shen
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Chung-Yu Chen
- Research Center for Cancer Biology, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Chuan Li
- Department of Biological Science and Technology, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan; Cancer Biology and Precision Therapeutics Center, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Sui-Yuan Chang
- Dept of Clinical Laboratory Sciences and Medical Biotchnology, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan; Dept of Laboratory Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Wei-Chao Chang
- Center for Molecular Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, 40402, Taiwan
| | - Po-Ren Hsueh
- Departments of Laboratory Medicine and Internal Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan; PhD Program for Aging, School of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan; Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Sheng-Teng Huang
- Department of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, 40402, Taiwan; School of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan; Research Cancer Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine, Department of Medical Research, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan; An-Nan Hospital, China Medical University, Tainan, Taiwan.
| | - Mien-Chie Hung
- Research Center for Cancer Biology, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan; Cancer Biology and Precision Therapeutics Center, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan; Center for Molecular Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, 40402, Taiwan; Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
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11
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Haoyu W, Meiqin L, Jiaoyang S, Guangliang H, Haofeng L, Pan C, Xiongzhi Q, Kaixin W, Mingli H, Xuejie Y, Lämmermann I, Grillari J, Zhengli S, Jiekai C, Guangming W. Premature aging effects on COVID-19 pathogenesis: new insights from mouse models. Sci Rep 2024; 14:19703. [PMID: 39181932 PMCID: PMC11344828 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-70612-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2024] [Accepted: 08/19/2024] [Indexed: 08/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Aging is identified as a significant risk factor for severe coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), often resulting in profound lung damage and mortality. Yet, the biological relationship between aging, aging-related comorbidities, and COVID-19 remains incompletely understood. This study aimed to elucidate the age-related COVID19 pathogenesis using an Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS) mouse model, a premature aging disease model, with humanized ACE2 receptors. Pathological features were compared between young, aged, and HGPS hACE2 mice following SARS-CoV-2 challenge. We demonstrated that young mice display robust interferon response and antiviral activity, whereas this response is attenuated in aged mice. Viral infection in aged mice results in severe respiratory tract hemorrhage, likely contributing a higher mortality rate. In contrast, HGPS hACE2 mice exhibit milder disease manifestations characterized by minor immune cell infiltration and dysregulation of multiple metabolic processes. Comprehensive transcriptome analysis revealed both shared and unique gene expression dynamics among different mouse groups. Collectively, our studies evaluated the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on progeroid syndromes using a HGPS hACE2 mouse model, which holds promise as a useful tool for investigating COVID-19 pathogenesis in individuals with premature aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wu Haoyu
- Center for Cell Lineage Atlas, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China.
| | - Liu Meiqin
- Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, China
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou Laboratory Clinical Base, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Sun Jiaoyang
- Division of Basic Research, Guangzhou National Laboratory, Guangzhou, 510005, China
| | - Hong Guangliang
- Division of Basic Research, Guangzhou National Laboratory, Guangzhou, 510005, China
| | - Lin Haofeng
- Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Chen Pan
- Center for Cell Lineage Atlas, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China
| | - Quan Xiongzhi
- Center for Cell Lineage Atlas, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China
| | - Wu Kaixin
- Center for Cell Lineage and Atlas (CCLA), Bioland Laboratory, Guangzhou, China
| | - Hu Mingli
- Center for Cell Lineage Atlas, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China
| | - Yang Xuejie
- Center for Cell Lineage Atlas, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China
| | | | - Johannes Grillari
- Austrian Cluster for Tissue Regeneration, Vienna, Austria
- Institute of Molecular Biotechnology, BOKU University, Vienna, Austria
- Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Traumatology, The Research Center in Cooperation with AUVA, 1200, Vienna, Austria
| | - Shi Zhengli
- Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Chen Jiekai
- Center for Cell Lineage Atlas, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China.
- Centre for Regenerative Medicine and Health, Hong Kong Institute of Science and Innovation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kowloon, 999077, Hong Kong SAR, China.
| | - Wu Guangming
- Division of Basic Research, Guangzhou National Laboratory, Guangzhou, 510005, China.
- The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510150, China.
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12
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Aboelghar SM, Hegazy MA, Wagdy HA. Eco-Friendly Synchronous Spectrofluorimetric Method for Simultaneous Determination of Remdesivir and Acetyl Salicylic Acid in Spiked Human Plasma. J Fluoresc 2024:10.1007/s10895-024-03851-1. [PMID: 39150458 DOI: 10.1007/s10895-024-03851-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2024] [Accepted: 07/15/2024] [Indexed: 08/17/2024]
Abstract
Remdesivir and acetyl salicylic acid are often co-administered medications in the treatment of COVID-19, specifically targeting the viral infection and thromboembolism associated with the condition. Hence, it is essential to establish a technique that enables the concurrent quantification of these pharmaceutical compounds in plasma while also keeping environmentally friendly methods. Accordingly, the aim of this work is to simultaneously determine remdesivir and acetyl salicylic acid through a bioanalytical validated synchronous spectrofluorimetric method with applying principles of green chemistry. Since, the two drugs showed severe overlap after excitation at 242.0 nm, 284.0 nm for remdesivir and acetyl salicylic acid, respectively. The overlap was effectively overcome by using synchronous mode with a wavelength difference (Δλ) of 160.0 nm for remdesivir and 100.0 nm for acetyl salicylic acid. Different parameters have been optimized such as Δλ, solvent, pH and surfactant. A linear calibration was obtained over the concentration range 0.01-4.00 µg/mL for remdesivir and 0.01-3.00 µg/mL for acetyl salicylic acid and the method was precise and accurate. The method was successfully used for the investigation of pharmaceutical formulation and the quantification of the maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) of the two drugs. The method has been evaluated as an excellent green analytical method based on three greenness assessment tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sohair M Aboelghar
- Pharmaceutical Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, The British University in Egypt, P.O. Box 43, El-Sherouk City, Cairo, 11837, Egypt
- Health Research Center of Excellence, Drug Research and Development Group, Faculty of Pharmacy, The British University in Egypt, El-Sherouk City, Egypt
| | - Maha A Hegazy
- Analytical Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Kasr-El-Aini Street, Cairo, 11562, Egypt.
| | - Hebatallah A Wagdy
- Pharmaceutical Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, The British University in Egypt, P.O. Box 43, El-Sherouk City, Cairo, 11837, Egypt
- Health Research Center of Excellence, Drug Research and Development Group, Faculty of Pharmacy, The British University in Egypt, El-Sherouk City, Egypt
- Department of Pharmaceutical Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
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13
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Zhou H, Leng P, Wang Y, Yang K, Li C, Ojcius DM, Wang P, Jiang S. Development of T cell antigen-based human coronavirus vaccines against nAb-escaping SARS-CoV-2 variants. Sci Bull (Beijing) 2024; 69:2456-2470. [PMID: 38942698 DOI: 10.1016/j.scib.2024.02.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2023] [Revised: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 06/30/2024]
Abstract
Currently approved vaccines have been successful in preventing the severity of COVID-19 and hospitalization. These vaccines primarily induce humoral immune responses; however, highly transmissible and mutated variants, such as the Omicron variant, weaken the neutralization potential of the vaccines, thus, raising serious concerns about their efficacy. Additionally, while neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) tend to wane more rapidly than cell-mediated immunity, long-lasting T cells typically prevent severe viral illness by directly killing infected cells or aiding other immune cells. Importantly, T cells are more cross-reactive than antibodies, thus, highly mutated variants are less likely to escape lasting broadly cross-reactive T cell immunity. Therefore, T cell antigen-based human coronavirus (HCoV) vaccines with the potential to serve as a supplementary weapon to combat emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants with resistance to nAbs are urgently needed. Alternatively, T cell antigens could also be included in B cell antigen-based vaccines to strengthen vaccine efficacy. This review summarizes recent advancements in research and development of vaccines containing T cell antigens or both T and B cell antigens derived from proteins of SARS-CoV-2 variants and/or other HCoVs based on different vaccine platforms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Zhou
- College of Medical Technology, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 611137, China; Chongqing Key Laboratory of Sichuan-Chongqing Co-construction for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Chongqing Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Chongqing 400016, China.
| | - Ping Leng
- College of Medical Technology, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 611137, China; Chongqing Key Laboratory of Sichuan-Chongqing Co-construction for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Chongqing Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Chongqing 400016, China
| | - Yang Wang
- College of Medical Technology, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 611137, China
| | - Kaiwen Yang
- College of Medical Technology, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 611137, China
| | - Chen Li
- Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Fudan University Pudong Medical Center, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China
| | - David M Ojcius
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of the Pacific, Arthur Dugoni School of Dentistry, San Francisco, CA 94115, USA
| | - Pengfei Wang
- Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Fudan University Pudong Medical Center, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China.
| | - Shibo Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology of Ministry of Education/Ministry of Health/Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.
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14
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Qing L, Wu W. The mechanism of geniposide in patients with COVID-19 and atherosclerosis: A pharmacological and bioinformatics analysis. Medicine (Baltimore) 2024; 103:e39065. [PMID: 39093733 PMCID: PMC11296471 DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000039065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2024] [Accepted: 07/03/2024] [Indexed: 08/04/2024] Open
Abstract
In patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (which causes coronavirus disease 2019 [COVID-19]), oxidative stress (OS) is associated with disease severity and death. OS is also involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis (AS). Previous studies have shown that geniposide has anti-inflammatory and anti-viral properties, and can protect cells against OS. However, the potential target(s) of geniposide in patients with COVID-19 and AS, as well as the mechanism it uses, are unclear. We combined pharmacology and bioinformatics analysis to obtain geniposide against COVID-19/AS targets, and build protein-protein interaction network to filter hub genes. The hub genes were performed an enrichment analysis by ClueGO, including Gene Ontology and KEGG. The Enrichr database and the target microRNAs (miRNAs) of hub genes were predicted through the MiRTarBase via Enrichr. The common miRNAs were used to construct the miRNAs-mRNAs regulated network, and the miRNAs' function was evaluated by mirPath v3.0 software. Two hundred forty-seven targets of geniposide were identified in patients with COVID-19/AS comorbidity by observing the overlap between the genes modulated by geniposide, COVID-19, and AS. A protein-protein interaction network of geniposide in patients with COVID-19/AS was constructed, and 27 hub genes were identified. The results of enrichment analysis suggested that geniposide may be involved in regulating the OS via the FoxO signaling pathway. MiRNA-mRNA network revealed that hsa-miR-34a-5p may play an important role in the therapeutic mechanism of geniposide in COVID-19/AS patients. Our study found that geniposide represents a promising therapy for patients with COVID-19 and AS comorbidity. Furthermore, the target genes and miRNAs that we identified may aid the development of new treatment strategies against COVID-19/AS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lijin Qing
- First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510405, China
| | - Wei Wu
- First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510405, China
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15
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Maqbool M, Hussain MS, Shaikh NK, Sultana A, Bisht AS, Agrawal M. Noncoding RNAs in the COVID-19 Saga: An Untold Story. Viral Immunol 2024; 37:269-286. [PMID: 38968365 DOI: 10.1089/vim.2024.0026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/07/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Mudasir Maqbool
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, India
| | - Md Sadique Hussain
- Uttaranchal Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Uttaranchal University, Dehradun, India
| | - Nusrat K Shaikh
- Department of Quality Assurance, Smt. N. M. Padalia Pharmacy College, Ahmedabad, India
| | - Ayesha Sultana
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Yenepoya Pharmacy College & Research Centre, Yenepoya University, Mangalore, India
| | - Ajay Singh Bisht
- Shri Guru Ram Rai University School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Dehradun, India
| | - Mohit Agrawal
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medical & Allied Sciences, K. R. Mangalam University, Gurugram, India
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16
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Diekman CO, Thomas PJ, Wilson CG. COVID-19 and silent hypoxemia in a minimal closed-loop model of the respiratory rhythm generator. BIOLOGICAL CYBERNETICS 2024; 118:145-163. [PMID: 38884785 PMCID: PMC11289179 DOI: 10.1007/s00422-024-00989-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/18/2024]
Abstract
Silent hypoxemia, or "happy hypoxia," is a puzzling phenomenon in which patients who have contracted COVID-19 exhibit very low oxygen saturation ( SaO 2 < 80%) but do not experience discomfort in breathing. The mechanism by which this blunted response to hypoxia occurs is unknown. We have previously shown that a computational model of the respiratory neural network (Diekman et al. in J Neurophysiol 118(4):2194-2215, 2017) can be used to test hypotheses focused on changes in chemosensory inputs to the central pattern generator (CPG). We hypothesize that altered chemosensory function at the level of the carotid bodies and/or the nucleus tractus solitarii are responsible for the blunted response to hypoxia. Here, we use our model to explore this hypothesis by altering the properties of the gain function representing oxygen sensing inputs to the CPG. We then vary other parameters in the model and show that oxygen carrying capacity is the most salient factor for producing silent hypoxemia. We call for clinicians to measure hematocrit as a clinical index of altered physiology in response to COVID-19 infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Casey O Diekman
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, New Jersey Institute of Technology, University Heights, Newark, NJ, 07102, USA.
| | - Peter J Thomas
- Department of Mathematics, Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Christopher G Wilson
- Department of Pediatrics and Basic Sciences, Lawrence D. Longo, MD Center for Perinatal Biology, Loma Linda University, 11223 Campus St, Loma Linda, CA, 92350, USA
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17
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Aghajani Mir M. Illuminating the pathogenic role of SARS-CoV-2: Insights into competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) regulatory networks. INFECTION, GENETICS AND EVOLUTION : JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR EPIDEMIOLOGY AND EVOLUTIONARY GENETICS IN INFECTIOUS DISEASES 2024; 122:105613. [PMID: 38844190 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2024.105613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2024] [Revised: 05/20/2024] [Accepted: 05/31/2024] [Indexed: 06/10/2024]
Abstract
The appearance of SARS-CoV-2 in 2019 triggered a significant economic and health crisis worldwide, with heterogeneous molecular mechanisms that contribute to its development are not yet fully understood. Although substantial progress has been made in elucidating the mechanisms behind SARS-CoV-2 infection and therapy, it continues to rank among the top three global causes of mortality due to infectious illnesses. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), being integral components across nearly all biological processes, demonstrate effective importance in viral pathogenesis. Regarding viral infections, ncRNAs have demonstrated their ability to modulate host reactions, viral replication, and host-pathogen interactions. However, the complex interactions of different types of ncRNAs in the progression of COVID-19 remains understudied. In recent years, a novel mechanism of post-transcriptional gene regulation known as "competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA)" has been proposed. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), circular RNAs (circRNAs), and viral ncRNAs function as ceRNAs, influencing the expression of associated genes by sequestering shared microRNAs. Recent research on SARS-CoV-2 has revealed that disruptions in specific ceRNA regulatory networks (ceRNETs) contribute to the abnormal expression of key infection-related genes and the establishment of distinctive infection characteristics. These findings present new opportunities to delve deeper into the underlying mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis, offering potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets. This progress paves the way for a more comprehensive understanding of ceRNETs, shedding light on the intricate mechanisms involved. Further exploration of these mechanisms holds promise for enhancing our ability to prevent viral infections and develop effective antiviral treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahsa Aghajani Mir
- Deputy of Research and Technology, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran.
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18
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Baker CN, Duso D, Kothapalli N, Hart T, Casey S, Cookenham T, Kummer L, Hvizdos J, Lanzer K, Vats P, Shanbhag P, Bell I, Tighe M, Travis K, Szaba F, Bedard O, Oberding N, Ward JM, Adams MD, Lutz C, Bradrick SS, Reiley WW, Rosenthal N. Characterization of Collaborative Cross mouse founder strain CAST/EiJ as a novel model for lethal COVID-19. RESEARCH SQUARE 2024:rs.3.rs-4675061. [PMID: 39149485 PMCID: PMC11326417 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4675061/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/17/2024]
Abstract
Mutations in SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) have expanded the viral host range beyond primates, and a limited range of other mammals, to mice, affording the opportunity to exploit genetically diverse mouse panels to model the broad range of responses to infection in patient populations. Here we surveyed responses to VOC infection in genetically diverse Collaborative Cross (CC) founder strains. Infection of wild-derived CC founder strains produced a broad range of viral burden, disease susceptibility and survival, whereas most other strains were resistant to disease despite measurable lung viral titers. In particular, CAST/EiJ, a wild-derived strain, developed high lung viral burdens, more severe lung pathology than seen in other CC strains, and a dysregulated cytokine profile resulting in morbidity and mortality. These inbred mouse strains may serve as a valuable platform to evaluate therapeutic countermeasures against severe COVID-19 and other coronavirus pandemics in the future.
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19
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Witarto AP, Rosyid AN, Witarto BS, Pramudito SL, Putra AJE. An in-depth investigation of serum Krebs von den Lungen-6 and other biomarkers in COVID-19 severity and mortality. Monaldi Arch Chest Dis 2024. [PMID: 39077858 DOI: 10.4081/monaldi.2024.2848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 06/03/2024] [Indexed: 07/31/2024] Open
Abstract
Krebs von den Lungen-6 (KL-6) is a glycoprotein mainly expressed by type II pneumocytes and recently known as a lung injury biomarker. However, the number of studies is still limited, especially in Indonesian COVID-19 populations. Therefore, we aim to provide correlation, sensitivity, and specificity analyses of KL-6 and other biomarkers in Indonesian COVID-19 severity and mortality. We conducted a cross-sectional study involving adult COVID-19 patients at Universitas Airlangga Hospital, Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia, between March 26, 2021, and August 25, 2021. KL-6 and other biomarker levels were compared according to severity (severe versus non-severe) and mortality (non-survivor versus survivor). We also included the receiver operating characteristic analysis to define the optimal cut-off, sensitivity, and specificity of KL-6 to determine COVID-19 severity and mortality. We enrolled 78 COVID- 19 patients (23 non-survivors), including 39 non-severe and 39 severe patients. There was no significant difference in serum KL-6 levels, neither in severity nor mortality groups. KL-6 had the strongest positive correlations with ferritin in severe patients (r=0.313) and non-survivors (r=0.467). We observed that the best sensitivity was KL-6 combined with platelet-to- lymphocyte ratio (PLR) (0.818) in severe patients and with neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR)/PLR/ferritin/C-reactive protein (0.867) in non-survivors. In contrast, the best specificity was found when KL-6 was combined with NLR/D-dimer (0.750) in severe patients and with D-dimer (0.889) in non-survivors. Serum KL-6 is a useful auxiliary laboratory evaluation index for COVID-19 lung injury to depict its severity and mortality.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Alfian Nur Rosyid
- Department of Pulmonology and Respiratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Airlangga Hospital, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya.
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20
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Das S, Nath S, Shahjahan, Dey SK. Plausible mechanism of drug resistance and side-effects of COVID-19 therapeutics: a bottleneck for its eradication. Daru 2024:10.1007/s40199-024-00524-z. [PMID: 39026019 DOI: 10.1007/s40199-024-00524-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/11/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND COVID-19 pandemic has turned our world upside down by meddling with our normal lives. While there is no definitive drug against SARS-CoV-2, antiviral drugs that are already in the market, are being repurposed against it, could now complete long-term as well as all age-specific investigations, and they are successful in saving millions of lives. Nevertheless, side-effects are emergingly seen in the patients undergoing treatment, and ineffectiveness is increasingly found due to the emerging notorious variants of the virus. Many of them are also facing serious co-infections including black fungus, Zika, and H1N1 virus to name a few. OBJECTIVES Therefore, this review highlights both drug resistance, their side-effects, and the significance for proper and long-term clinical trials of all age groups including children. METHODS We have explored and proposed the mechanisms of drug resistance that may arise due to the misuse or overuse of drugs based on available experimental reports. RESULTS The review provides solutions to the aforesaid issues of drug-resistance and side-effects by providing combination therapies, ancillary treatments, and other preventive strategies that can be useful in preventing drawbacks thereby curbing COVID-19 or similar future infections to maintain our normal lives. CONCLUSION COVID-19 and its long-term effects, if any, can be eradicated with strategic and mindful use of related therapeutics in a controlled manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Swarnali Das
- Department of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, 208016, India
| | - Sreyashi Nath
- Imaging Cell Signaling and Therapeutics Lab, Advanced Centre for Training Research and Education in Cancer, Navi Mumbai, 410210, India
- Homi Bhabha National Institute, Anushaktinagar, Mumbai, 400094, India
| | - Shahjahan
- Laboratory for Structural Biology of Membrane Proteins, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Center for Biomedical Research, University of Delhi, Delhi, 110007, India
| | - Sanjay Kumar Dey
- Laboratory for Structural Biology of Membrane Proteins, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Center for Biomedical Research, University of Delhi, Delhi, 110007, India.
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21
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Abdelazim MH, Alsenani F, Alnuhait M, Alshammari AS, Altemani AH, Althagafi EA, Waggas DS, Abdelazim AH, Alharbi A. Efficacy of forskolin as a promising therapy for chronic olfactory dysfunction post COVID-19. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2024:10.1007/s00405-024-08802-x. [PMID: 39001919 DOI: 10.1007/s00405-024-08802-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2024] [Accepted: 06/20/2024] [Indexed: 07/15/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE Olfactory dysfunction is increasingly common among COVID-19 patients, impacting their well-being. Reports have demonstrated decreased levels of cyclic adenosine monophosphate and cyclic guanosine monophosphate among patients with chronic olfactory dysfunction. A prospective randomized clinical trial was developed to demonstrate the efficacy of an oral forskolin regimen treatment, an adenylyl cyclase activator that raises intracellular levels of cyclic adenosine monophosphate, for the treatment of olfactory dysfunction following COVID-19, compared to placebo regimen. METHODS The study enrolled 285 participants with persistent olfactory dysfunction post COVID-19 infection, randomly assigning them to receive either placebo capsules (n = 120) or oral forskolin capsules (n = 165). Follow-up was conducted to track progress, with 18 participants from the placebo group and 12 from the forskolin group lost during this period. Olfactory function was assessed using the "Sniffin' Sticks" test, measuring threshold, discrimination and identification scores before and after treatment. RESULTS Subjects administered forskolin capsules demonstrated a significant enhancement in their composite TDI (threshold, discrimination and identification) score, suggesting a notable amelioration in olfactory functionality. Moreover, the discrimination and identification scores notably improved within the forskolin group. Conversely, no significant alterations were observed in the threshold scores. CONCLUSION This study suggests that forskolin can contribute potentially to improve chronic olfactory dysfunction post COVID-19. TRIAL REGISTRATION DFM-IRB00012367-23-10-001.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed H Abdelazim
- Department of Otolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Damietta, Egypt
| | - Faisal Alsenani
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammed Alnuhait
- Pharmaceutical Practices Department, College of Pharmacy, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdullah S Alshammari
- Pharmaceutical Practices Department, College of Pharmacy, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdullah H Altemani
- Department of Family and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tabuk, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia
| | - Eyad A Althagafi
- Department of pharmaceutical care, King Fahad General Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Dania S Waggas
- Department of Pathological Sciences, Fakeeh College for Medical Sciences, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ahmed H Abdelazim
- Pharmaceutical Analytical Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
| | - Adnan Alharbi
- Pharmaceutical Practices Department, College of Pharmacy, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia
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22
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Leng F, Mei S, Zhou X, Liu X, Yuan Y, Xu W, Hao C, Guo R, Hao C, Li W, Zhang P. DVsc: An Automated Framework for Efficiently Detecting Viral Infection from Single-cell Transcriptomics Data. GENOMICS, PROTEOMICS & BIOINFORMATICS 2024; 22:qzad007. [PMID: 39215426 DOI: 10.1093/gpbjnl/qzad007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2022] [Revised: 11/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 09/04/2024]
Abstract
Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) has emerged as a valuable tool for studying cellular heterogeneity in various fields, particularly in virological research. By studying the viral and cellular transcriptomes, the dynamics of viral infection can be investigated at a single-cell resolution. However, limited studies have been conducted to investigate whether RNA transcripts from clinical samples contain substantial amounts of viral RNAs, and a specific computational framework for efficiently detecting viral reads based on scRNA-seq data has not been developed. Hence, we introduce DVsc, an open-source framework for precise quantitative analysis of viral infection from single-cell transcriptomics data. When applied to approximately 200 diverse clinical samples that were infected by more than 10 different viruses, DVsc demonstrated high accuracy in systematically detecting viral infection across a wide array of cell types. This innovative bioinformatics pipeline could be crucial for addressing the potential effects of surreptitiously invading viruses on certain illnesses, as well as for designing novel medicines to target viruses in specific host cell subsets and evaluating the efficacy of treatment. DVsc supports the FASTQ format as an input and is compatible with multiple single-cell sequencing platforms. Moreover, it could also be applied to sequences from bulk RNA sequencing data. DVsc is available at http://62.234.32.33:5000/DVsc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Leng
- Beijing Key Laboratory for Genetics of Birth Defects, Beijing Pediatric Research Institute; MOE Key Laboratory of Major Diseases in Children; Rare Disease Center, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children's Health, Beijing 100045, China
| | - Song Mei
- Beijing Key Laboratory for Genetics of Birth Defects, Beijing Pediatric Research Institute; MOE Key Laboratory of Major Diseases in Children; Rare Disease Center, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children's Health, Beijing 100045, China
| | - Xiaolin Zhou
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, M5S 3G9, Canada
| | - Xuanshi Liu
- Beijing Key Laboratory for Genetics of Birth Defects, Beijing Pediatric Research Institute; MOE Key Laboratory of Major Diseases in Children; Rare Disease Center, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children's Health, Beijing 100045, China
| | - Yefeng Yuan
- Beijing Key Laboratory for Genetics of Birth Defects, Beijing Pediatric Research Institute; MOE Key Laboratory of Major Diseases in Children; Rare Disease Center, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children's Health, Beijing 100045, China
| | - Wenjian Xu
- Beijing Key Laboratory for Genetics of Birth Defects, Beijing Pediatric Research Institute; MOE Key Laboratory of Major Diseases in Children; Rare Disease Center, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children's Health, Beijing 100045, China
| | - Chongyi Hao
- Beijing Key Laboratory for Genetics of Birth Defects, Beijing Pediatric Research Institute; MOE Key Laboratory of Major Diseases in Children; Rare Disease Center, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children's Health, Beijing 100045, China
| | - Ruolan Guo
- Beijing Key Laboratory for Genetics of Birth Defects, Beijing Pediatric Research Institute; MOE Key Laboratory of Major Diseases in Children; Rare Disease Center, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children's Health, Beijing 100045, China
| | - Chanjuan Hao
- Beijing Key Laboratory for Genetics of Birth Defects, Beijing Pediatric Research Institute; MOE Key Laboratory of Major Diseases in Children; Rare Disease Center, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children's Health, Beijing 100045, China
| | - Wei Li
- Beijing Key Laboratory for Genetics of Birth Defects, Beijing Pediatric Research Institute; MOE Key Laboratory of Major Diseases in Children; Rare Disease Center, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children's Health, Beijing 100045, China
| | - Peng Zhang
- Beijing Key Laboratory for Genetics of Birth Defects, Beijing Pediatric Research Institute; MOE Key Laboratory of Major Diseases in Children; Rare Disease Center, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children's Health, Beijing 100045, China
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Pena NM, Santana LC, Hunter JR, Blum VF, Vergara T, Gouvea C, Leal E, Bellei N, Schechter M, Diaz RS. T cell-mediated Immune response and correlates of inflammation and their relationship with COVID-19 clinical severity: not an intuitive guess. BMC Infect Dis 2024; 24:612. [PMID: 38902613 PMCID: PMC11191252 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-024-09490-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/10/2024] [Indexed: 06/22/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Predictors of the outcome of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection remain to be fully determined. We evaluated selected viral characteristics and immunological responses that might predict and/or correlate to the clinical outcome of COVID-19. METHODS For individuals developing divergent clinical outcomes, the magnitude and breadth of T cell-mediated responses were measured within 36 h of symptom onset. Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMCs) were subjected to in vitro stimulation with SARS-CoV-2-based peptides. In addition, SARS-CoV-2 sequences were generated by metagenome, and HLA typing was performed using Luminex technology. FINDINGS CD4+ T cell activation was negatively correlated with SARS-CoV-2 basal viral load in patients with severe COVID-19 (p = 0·043). The overall cellular immune response, as inferred by the IFN-γ signal, was higher at baseline for patients who progressed to mild disease compared to patients who progressed to severe disease (p = 0·0044). Subjects with milder disease developed higher T cell responses for MHC class I and II-restricted peptides (p = 0·033). INTERPRETATION Mounting specific cellular immune responses in the first days after symptom onset, as inferred by IFN-γ magnitude in the ELISPOT assay, may efficiently favor a positive outcome. In contrast, progression to severe COVID-19 was accompanied by stronger cellular immune responses, higher CD4 + T cell activation, and a higher number of in silico predicted high-affinity class I HLA alleles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathalia Mantovani Pena
- Infectious Diseases Division, Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), Pedro de Toledo, 669, Vila Clementino, Sao Paulo, SP, 04039-032, Brazil
- Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, United States of America
| | - Luiz Claudio Santana
- Infectious Diseases Division, Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), Pedro de Toledo, 669, Vila Clementino, Sao Paulo, SP, 04039-032, Brazil
| | - James R Hunter
- Infectious Diseases Division, Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), Pedro de Toledo, 669, Vila Clementino, Sao Paulo, SP, 04039-032, Brazil
| | - Vinicius Fontanesi Blum
- Infectious Diseases Division, Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), Pedro de Toledo, 669, Vila Clementino, Sao Paulo, SP, 04039-032, Brazil
| | - Tania Vergara
- Infectious Diseases Division, Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), Pedro de Toledo, 669, Vila Clementino, Sao Paulo, SP, 04039-032, Brazil
- Oncohiv, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Celso Gouvea
- Centro de Hematologia e Hemoterapia do Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil
| | - Elcio Leal
- Laboratório de Diversidade Viral, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belem, Pará, Brazil
| | - Nancy Bellei
- Infectious Diseases Division, Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), Pedro de Toledo, 669, Vila Clementino, Sao Paulo, SP, 04039-032, Brazil
| | - Mauro Schechter
- Infectious Diseases Division, Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), Pedro de Toledo, 669, Vila Clementino, Sao Paulo, SP, 04039-032, Brazil
- Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Ricardo Sobhie Diaz
- Infectious Diseases Division, Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), Pedro de Toledo, 669, Vila Clementino, Sao Paulo, SP, 04039-032, Brazil.
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Li H, Song Y, Wang Y, Feng X, Li C, Peng J, Yu H. Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown on Body Mass Index: a three-year follow up study in 6,156 Chinese college students. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2024; 15:1387151. [PMID: 38966211 PMCID: PMC11222588 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2024.1387151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2024] [Accepted: 06/04/2024] [Indexed: 07/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Background The novel coronavirus disease 2019 as the most pervasive and consequential pandemic in recent years, has exerted significant impacts on human health, including aspects related to body weight. Objectives: This study aims to assess the influence of the lockdown measures implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic on Chinese college students' Body Mass Index (BMI) through a three-year cohort study. Methods We recruited 6156 college students (n = 4,248, 69% male, and n = 1,908, 31% female, with an average age of 18.68 ± 0.86 yr.) from a University in China to participate in this three-year cohort study. All of the subjects took the same physical fitness tests from 2019 to 2021 (pre-lockdown, during lockdown and post-lockdown). Participants' height and weight data were objectively measured by Tongfang Health Fitness Testing Products 5000 series. A paired t-test was performed in the analysis. Results During the lockdown, there is 4.2% increase of BMI among the college student (p<0.001). Moreover, males had a greater overall mean BMI rate increase of 4.74% (p<0.001) than females (2.86%, p<0.001). After the lockdown, there is 0.94% increase of BMI among the college student (p<0.001). However, females had a greater overall mean BMI rate increase of 1.49% (p<0.001) than males (0.72%, p<0.001). During this period, the obese and overweight group's growth rate from 2019 to 2020 was smaller than the normal and underweight group, which were 2.94% (p<0.001), 3.90% (p<0.001), 4.44% (p<0.001) and 5.25% (p<0.001), respectively. Conclusion BMI increased both during and post-lockdown periods among Chinese college students. However, during the lockdown, participants with higher BMI groups appeared to have a diminished BMI growth rate compared to those with lower BMI. After the lockdown, participants with higher BMI levels appeared to have an augmented BMI growth rate. Public policy action is needed to increase the level of physical activity of Chinese college students and take action to improve students' physical fitness performance after the lockdown.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haoxuan Li
- Department of Physical Education, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Yiling Song
- Department of Physical Education, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Yangyang Wang
- Department of Physical Education, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaolu Feng
- Department of Sports Science, College of Education, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Chengwei Li
- Department of Physical Education, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Jianmin Peng
- Department of Physical Education, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Hongjun Yu
- Department of Physical Education, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
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25
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Fekri MS, Najminejad Z, Karami Robati F, Dalfardi B, Lashkarizadeh M, Najafzadeh MJ. Eosinophils and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. BMC Infect Dis 2024; 24:553. [PMID: 38831292 PMCID: PMC11149342 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-024-09373-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2023] [Accepted: 05/03/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The emergence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as a global health emergency necessitates continued investigation of the disease progression. This study investigated the relationship between eosinophilia and the severity of COVID-19 in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. METHODS This cross-sectional study was conducted on 73 COPD patients infected by COVID-19 in Afzalipour Hospital, Iran. Peripheral blood samples were collected for hematological parameter testing, including eosinophil percentage, using Giemsa staining. Eosinophilia was defined as≥ 2% and non-eosinophilia as< 2%. The severity of pulmonary involvement was determined based on chest CT severity score (CT-SS) (based on the degree of involvement of the lung lobes, 0%: 0 points, 1-25%: 1 point, 26-50%: 2 points, 51-75%: 3 points, and 76-100%: 4 points). The CT-SS was the sum of the scores of the five lobes (range 0-20). RESULTS The average age of patients was 67.90±13.71 years, and most were male (54.8%). Non-eosinophilic COPD patients were associated with more severe COVID-19 (P= 0.01) and lower oxygen saturation (P= 0.001). In addition, the study revealed a significant difference in the chest CT severity score (CT-SS) between non-eosinophilic (9.76±0.7) and eosinophilic COPD patients (6.26±0.63) (P< 0.001). Although non-eosinophilic COPD patients had a higher mortality rate, this difference was not statistically significant (P= 0.16). CONCLUSIONS Our study demonstrated that reduced peripheral blood eosinophil levels in COPD patients with COVID-19 correlate with unfavorable outcomes. Understanding this association can help us identify high-risk COPD patients and take appropriate management strategies to improve their prognosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mitra Samareh Fekri
- Cardiovascular Research Center, Institute of Basic and Clinical Physiology Sciences, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
| | - Zohreh Najminejad
- Clinical Research Development Unit, Afzalipour Hospital' Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Karami Robati
- Clinical Research Development Unit, Afzalipour Hospital' Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Behnam Dalfardi
- Advanced Thoracic Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mahdiyeh Lashkarizadeh
- Department of Pathology and Stem Cell Research Center, School of Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
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26
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Szachowicz PJ, Wohlford-Lenane C, Heinen CJ, Ghimire S, Xue B, Boly TJ, Verma A, MašinoviĆ L, Bermick JR, Perlman S, Meyerholz DK, Pezzulo AA, Zhang Y, Smith RJ, McCray PB. A predominately pulmonary activation of complement in a mouse model of severe COVID-19. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.31.596892. [PMID: 38895461 PMCID: PMC11185570 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.31.596892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
Evidence from in vitro studies and observational human disease data suggest the complement system plays a significant role in SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis, although how complement dysregulation develops in patients with severe COVID-19 is unknown. Here, using a mouse-adapted SARS-CoV-2 virus (SARS2-N501YMA30) and a mouse model of severe COVID-19, we identify significant serologic and pulmonary complement activation following infection. We observed C3 activation in airway and alveolar epithelia, and in pulmonary vascular endothelia. Our evidence suggests that while the alternative pathway is the primary route of complement activation, components of both the alternative and classical pathways are produced locally by respiratory epithelial cells following infection, and increased in primary cultures of human airway epithelia in response to cytokine exposure. This locally generated complement response appears to precede and subsequently drive lung injury and inflammation. Results from this mouse model recapitulate findings in humans, which suggest sex-specific variance in complement activation, with predilection for increased C3 activity in males, a finding that may correlate with more severe disease. Our findings indicate that complement activation is a defining feature of severe COVID-19 in mice and lay the foundation for further investigation into the role of complement in COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter J. Szachowicz
- Department of Internal Medicine, The University of Iowa, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Occupational Medicine, Iowa City, IA, 52242
| | | | - Cobey J. Heinen
- Molecular Otolaryngology and Renal Research Laboratories, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, USA
| | - Shreya Ghimire
- Department of Internal Medicine, The University of Iowa, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Occupational Medicine, Iowa City, IA, 52242
| | - Biyun Xue
- Stead Family Department of Pediatrics, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242
| | - Timothy J. Boly
- Stead Family Department of Pediatrics, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242
| | - Abhishek Verma
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242
| | - Leila MašinoviĆ
- Department of Internal Medicine, The University of Iowa, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Occupational Medicine, Iowa City, IA, 52242
| | - Jennifer R. Bermick
- Stead Family Department of Pediatrics, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242
| | - Stanley Perlman
- Stead Family Department of Pediatrics, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242
| | | | - Alejandro A. Pezzulo
- Department of Internal Medicine, The University of Iowa, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Occupational Medicine, Iowa City, IA, 52242
| | - Yuzhou Zhang
- Molecular Otolaryngology and Renal Research Laboratories, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, USA
| | - Richard J.H. Smith
- Molecular Otolaryngology and Renal Research Laboratories, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, USA
| | - Paul B. McCray
- Stead Family Department of Pediatrics, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242
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27
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Silveira FM, Kirschnick LB, Calderipe CB, Schuch LF, Martins MD, Bologna-Molina R, Santos-Silva AR, Vasconcelos ACU. Morphological and tissue-based molecular characterization of oral lesions in patients with COVID-19: An update of a living systematic review. JOURNAL OF ORAL AND MAXILLOFACIAL SURGERY, MEDICINE, AND PATHOLOGY 2024. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ajoms.2024.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/14/2024]
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28
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Kasana H, Ade AK, Meena J, Sayal A, Sheikh F, Anvikar AR, Chander H. SARS-CoV-2 spike protein expression as an identification in quality control testing for Adenovector based COVID-19 vaccine. J Immunol Methods 2024; 529:113680. [PMID: 38703946 DOI: 10.1016/j.jim.2024.113680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2023] [Revised: 04/25/2024] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 05/06/2024]
Abstract
AIM Quality control testing of the vaccine for lot release is of paramount importance in public health. A recent pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus brought together all spheres of vaccine to combat the virus. The scientific advancement in the development of vaccines facilitated the scientists to develop the vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 in a record time. Thus, these vaccines should be stringently monitored for their safety and efficacy as per the latest WHO and national regulatory guidelines, and quality control evaluation of the product should be done at national control laboratories before releasing the product into the market as it assures the quality and safety of the vaccine. METHODS The SARS-CoV-2 exploited the ACE2 (Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2) receptor, a surface protein on mammalian cells to gain entry into the host cells. The viral surface protein that interacted with the ACE2 receptor is the Spike protein of SARS-CoV-2. Thus, in the development of the vaccine and assessing its quality, the Spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 became an attractive immunodominant antigen. In National Institute of Biologicals, an apex body in the testing of biologicals in India, received the Adenovector (Adenovirus + vector) based COVID-19 vaccine, a finished product for quality evaluation. Due to the lack of a pharmacopeial monograph, the testing of the vaccine was done as per the manufacturer's specifications and methods. The routine assays of identification employed by the manufacturer do not reflect the expression of Spike protein which is required for the immune system to get activated. In this report, we showed the determination of Spike protein expression by immunoblotting and immunofluorescence for identification parameters in the quality testing of the COVID-19 vaccine. We determined the translation of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike gene cloned into an Adenovector. RESULTS The results from these experiments indicated the expression of Spike protein upon infection of mammalian cells with viral particles suggested that the expression of immunodominant Spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 may be employed by quality control laboratories as a parameter for identification. CONCLUSION The study suggested that the determination of the expression of Spike protein is pertinent to identifying the Adenovector based vaccines against COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harit Kasana
- National Institute of Biologicals, Plot No. A-32, Sector-62, Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201309, India
| | - Ajay Kumar Ade
- National Institute of Biologicals, Plot No. A-32, Sector-62, Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201309, India
| | - Jaipal Meena
- National Institute of Biologicals, Plot No. A-32, Sector-62, Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201309, India
| | - Archana Sayal
- National Institute of Biologicals, Plot No. A-32, Sector-62, Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201309, India
| | - Faraz Sheikh
- National Institute of Biologicals, Plot No. A-32, Sector-62, Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201309, India
| | - Anupkumar R Anvikar
- National Institute of Biologicals, Plot No. A-32, Sector-62, Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201309, India
| | - Harish Chander
- National Institute of Biologicals, Plot No. A-32, Sector-62, Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201309, India..
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Ottinger MA, Grace JK, Maness TJ. Global challenges in aging: insights from comparative biology and one health. FRONTIERS IN TOXICOLOGY 2024; 6:1381178. [PMID: 38873623 PMCID: PMC11169734 DOI: 10.3389/ftox.2024.1381178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2024] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024] Open
Abstract
The well-being of wildlife populations, ecosystem health, and human health are interlinked, and preserving wildlife is crucial for sustaining healthy ecosystems. Wildlife numbers, and in particular avian populations, have steeply declined over the past century, associated with anthropogenic factors originating from industry, urbanization, changing land use, habitat loss, pollution, emerging diseases, and climate change. All these factors combine to exert increasing stress and impair health for both humans and wildlife, with diminished metabolic, immune, and reproductive function, deteriorating overall health, and reduced longevity. The "toxic aging coin" suggests that these stressors may have dual impacts on aging-they can accelerate the aging process, and older individuals may struggle to cope with pollutants compared to younger ones. These responses are reflected in the health and productivity of individuals, and at a larger scale, the health and ability of populations to withstand disturbances. To understand the potential risk to health over the lifespan, it is important to articulate some of these global challenges and consider both their impacts on aging populations and on the aging process. In this review, we use the toxic aging coin and One Health conceptual frameworks to examine the interconnected health of humans, wildlife, and ecosystems. This exploration aims to develop proactive approaches for optimizing wildlife and human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary Ann Ottinger
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Jacquelyn K. Grace
- Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Terri J. Maness
- School of Biological Sciences, Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, LA, United States
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30
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Trisyani Y, Mahendra D, Nuraeni A. Lessons Learned from the Lived Experiences of COVID-19 ICU Survivors Who are Struggling Through Critical Conditions and Surviving to Champion Life: A Qualitative Study. J Multidiscip Healthc 2024; 17:2659-2669. [PMID: 38828267 PMCID: PMC11141573 DOI: 10.2147/jmdh.s380389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, millions of lives were lost globally, including in Indonesia. Some patients with COVID-19 may experience severe symptoms of hypoxia, while some may be critically ill and admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) for survival. Purpose This study aimed to understand the lived experiences of COVID-19 ICU survivors who were in a critical condition. Methods This phenomenological study used semistructured interviews with nine participants who were COVID-19 ICU survivors. Data analysis was performed using the Colaizzi approach. Results The phenomenon of the lived experiences of COVID-19 ICU survivors was presented in seven subthemes and four main themes: struggling in a state of helplessness, fostering a positive spirit from within, amplifying the support from nurses and doctors, and strengthening the connection with family and the Almighty. These themes indicated the essential aspects of psychosocial support needed to boost strength and energy and elevate the body's immune system, which is crucial to champion life through critical conditions. Conclusion The new insight resulting from the study is shown in the four main themes, which play a significant role in elevating the healing process and enabling patients to survive critical conditions. Therefore, this study recommends the importance of psychosocial support for patients with critical conditions, which involves family and their significant others, and facilitating the connection between the patient and God.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanny Trisyani
- Department of Critical Care and Emergency Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Universitas Padjadjaran, Sumedang, Jawa Barat, Indonesia
| | - Donny Mahendra
- Vocational Faculty, Universitas Kristen Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Aan Nuraeni
- Department of Critical Care and Emergency Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Universitas Padjadjaran, Sumedang, Jawa Barat, Indonesia
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31
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Alnafisah AY, Alkhalidi AF, Aljohani H, Almutairi M, Alharf A, Alkofide H. Hospitalization Endpoint in Clinical Trials of Outpatient Settings: using Anti-SARS-COV-2 Therapy as an Example. Clin Epidemiol 2024; 16:357-365. [PMID: 38803423 PMCID: PMC11129753 DOI: 10.2147/clep.s464310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2024] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Purpose In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) developed a set of outcome measures for trials primarily aimed at hospitalised patients. However, a gap exists in defining outcome standards for non-hospitalised patients. Therefore, this study aims to discuss hospitalisation as a primary outcome in outpatient trials and its potential pitfalls, specifically focusing on trials related to anti-SARS-COV-2 therapy. Methods In this narrative review, researchers thoroughly searched MEDLINE and ClinicalTrials.gov from January 2020 to December 2022, targeting Phase III randomized controlled trials involving outpatients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19. The trials were specifically related to anti-SARS-COV-2 monoclonal antibodies or antiviral agents. The study collected essential data, including the type of intervention, comparator, primary objective, primary endpoint, and the use of estimands in the trial. Results The search identified 12 trials that evaluated the efficacy of anti-SARS COV-2 therapies in a predefined population. Three studies used hospitalisation and death as primary endpoints in high-risk patients receiving monoclonal antibodies. Nine studies assessed the efficacy of several antiviral agents: four trials used hospitalisation and death as the main endpoints, while others used different measures such as virologic measures using the Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction test (RT-PCR), the eight-point WHO ordinal scale, symptom alleviation by Day 7 and time to clinical response. Conclusion Choosing hospitalization as an endpoint may provide meaningful data such as the cost-effectiveness ratio of a drug. However, different hospital utilisation patterns and investigator decisions could bias clinical outcomes if no specific criteria are considered. Therefore, investigators should have clear criteria for determining variables that influence this measure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alhanouf Yousef Alnafisah
- Efficacy and Safety Evaluation Department, Benefit and Risk Evaluation Directorate, Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ahmed Fawaz Alkhalidi
- Efficacy and Safety Evaluation Department, Benefit and Risk Evaluation Directorate, Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hanin Aljohani
- Efficacy and Safety Evaluation Department, Benefit and Risk Evaluation Directorate, Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Manal Almutairi
- Efficacy and Safety Evaluation Department, Benefit and Risk Evaluation Directorate, Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Adel Alharf
- Drug Sector, Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hadeel Alkofide
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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Zhu J, Liu G, Goins CM, Stauffer SR, Gack MU. ISGylation of the SARS-CoV-2 N protein by HERC5 impedes N oligomerization and thereby viral RNA synthesis. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.15.594393. [PMID: 39149229 PMCID: PMC11326284 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.15.594393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/17/2024]
Abstract
Interferon (IFN)-stimulated gene 15 (ISG15), a ubiquitin-like protein, is covalently conjugated to host (immune) proteins such as MDA5 and IRF3 in a process called ISGylation, thereby limiting the replication of Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). However, whether SARS-CoV-2 proteins can be directly targeted for ISGylation remains elusive. In this study, we identified the nucleocapsid (N) protein of SARS-CoV-2 as a major substrate of ISGylation catalyzed by the host E3 ligase HERC5; however, N ISGylation is readily removed through de-ISGylation by the papain-like protease (PLpro) activity of NSP3. Mass spectrometry analysis identified that the N protein undergoes ISGylation at four lysine residues (K266, K355, K387 and K388), and mutational analysis of these sites in the context of a SARS-CoV-2 replicon (N-4KR) abolished N ISGylation and alleviated ISGylation-mediated inhibition of viral RNA synthesis. Furthermore, our results indicated that HERC5 targets preferentially phosphorylated N protein for ISGylation to regulate its oligomeric assembly. These findings reveal a novel mechanism by which the host ISGylation machinery directly targets SARS-CoV-2 proteins to restrict viral replication and illuminate how an intricate interplay of host (HERC5) and viral (PLpro) enzymes coordinates viral protein ISGylation and thereby regulates virus replication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junji Zhu
- Florida Research and Innovation Center, Cleveland Clinic, Port St. Lucie, FL 34987, USA
| | - GuanQun Liu
- Florida Research and Innovation Center, Cleveland Clinic, Port St. Lucie, FL 34987, USA
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Christopher M. Goins
- Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
| | - Shaun R. Stauffer
- Center for Therapeutics Discovery, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
| | - Michaela U. Gack
- Florida Research and Innovation Center, Cleveland Clinic, Port St. Lucie, FL 34987, USA
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Zhang SS, Zhao Z, Zhang WX, Wu R, Li F, Yang H, Zhang Q, Wei TT, Xi J, Zhou Y, Wang T, Du J, Huang N, Ge Q, Lu QB. Lipidome is a valuable tool for the severity prediction of coronavirus disease 2019. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1337208. [PMID: 38799463 PMCID: PMC11116732 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1337208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Objective To describe the lipid metabolic profile of different patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and contribute new evidence on the progression and severity prediction of COVID-19. Methods This case-control study was conducted in Peking University Third Hospital, China. The laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 patients aged ≥18 years old and diagnosed as pneumonia from December 2022 to January 2023 were included. Serum lipids were detected. The discrimination ability was calculated with the area under the curve (AUC). A random forest (RF) model was conducted to determine the significance of different lipids. Results Totally, 44 COVID-19 patients were enrolled with 16 mild and 28 severe patients. The top 5 super classes were triacylglycerols (TAG, 55.9%), phosphatidylethanolamines (PE, 10.9%), phosphatidylcholines (PC, 6.8%), diacylglycerols (DAG, 5.9%) and free fatty acids (FFA, 3.6%) among the 778 detected lipids from the serum of COVID-19 patients. Certain lipids, especially lysophosphatidylcholines (LPCs), turned to have significant correlations with certain immune/cytokine indexes. Reduced level of LPC 20:0 was observed in severe patients particularly in acute stage. The AUC of LPC 20:0 reached 0.940 in discriminating mild and severe patients and 0.807 in discriminating acute and recovery stages in the severe patients. The results of RF models also suggested the significance of LPCs in predicting the severity and progression of COVID-19. Conclusion Lipids probably have the potential to differentiate and forecast the severity, progression, and clinical outcomes of COVID-19 patients, with implications for immune/inflammatory responses. LPC 20:0 might be a potential target in predicting the progression and outcome and the treatment of COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shan-Shan Zhang
- Department of Laboratorial Science and Technology and Vaccine Research Center, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Center for Infectious Disease and Policy Research and Global Health and Infectious Diseases Group, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Zhiling Zhao
- Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Wan-Xue Zhang
- Center for Infectious Disease and Policy Research and Global Health and Infectious Diseases Group, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Rui Wu
- Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Fei Li
- Department of General Surgery, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Han Yang
- Center for Infectious Disease and Policy Research and Global Health and Infectious Diseases Group, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Qiang Zhang
- Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Ting-Ting Wei
- Department of Laboratorial Science and Technology and Vaccine Research Center, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Center for Infectious Disease and Policy Research and Global Health and Infectious Diseases Group, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Jingjing Xi
- Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Yiguo Zhou
- Center for Infectious Disease and Policy Research and Global Health and Infectious Diseases Group, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Department of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Tiehua Wang
- Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Juan Du
- Department of Laboratorial Science and Technology and Vaccine Research Center, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Center for Infectious Disease and Policy Research and Global Health and Infectious Diseases Group, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Ninghua Huang
- Department of Laboratorial Science and Technology and Vaccine Research Center, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Center for Infectious Disease and Policy Research and Global Health and Infectious Diseases Group, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Qinggang Ge
- Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Qing-Bin Lu
- Department of Laboratorial Science and Technology and Vaccine Research Center, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Center for Infectious Disease and Policy Research and Global Health and Infectious Diseases Group, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Department of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Epidemiology of Major Diseases (Peking University), Ministry of Education, Beijing, China
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Rodríguez-Hernández MÁ, Baena-Bustos M, Carneros D, Zurita-Palomo C, Muñoz-Pinillos P, Millán J, Padillo FJ, Smerdou C, von Kobbe C, Rose-John S, Bustos M. Targeting IL-6 trans-signalling by sgp130Fc attenuates severity in SARS-CoV-2 -infected mice and reduces endotheliopathy. EBioMedicine 2024; 103:105132. [PMID: 38677182 PMCID: PMC11061249 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2024.105132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2023] [Revised: 04/02/2024] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/29/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND SARS-CoV-2 infection is considered as a relapsing inflammatory process with a dysregulation of IL-6 signalling. Classic IL-6 signalling is thought to represent a defence mechanism against pathogens. In contrast, IL-6 trans-signalling has pro-inflammatory effects. In severe COVID-19, therapeutic strategies have focused on global inhibition of IL-6, with controversial results. We hypothesized that specific blockade of IL-6 trans-signalling could inhibit inflammatory response preserving the host defence activity inherent to IL-6 classic signalling. METHODS To test the role of the specific IL-6 trans-signalling inhibition by sgp130Fc in short- and long-term consequences of COVID-19, we used the established K18-hACE2 transgenic mouse model. Histological as well as immunohistochemical analysis, and pro-inflammatory marker profiling were performed. To investigate IL-6 trans-signalling in human cells we used primary lung microvascular endothelial cells and fibroblasts in the presence/absence of sgp130Fc. FINDINGS We report that targeting IL-6 trans-signalling by sgp130Fc attenuated SARS-CoV-2-related clinical symptoms and mortality. In surviving mice, the treatment caused a significant decrease in lung damage. In vitro, IL-6 trans-signalling induced strong and persisting JAK1/STAT3 activation in endothelial cells and lung fibroblasts with proinflammatory effects, which were attenuated by sgp130Fc. Our data also suggest that in those cells with scant amounts of IL-6R, the induction of gp130 and IL-6 by IL-6:sIL-6R complex sustains IL-6 trans-signalling. INTERPRETATION IL-6 trans-signalling fosters progression of COVID-19, and suggests that specific blockade of this signalling mode could offer a promising alternative to mitigate both short- and long-term consequences without affecting the beneficial effects of IL-6 classic signalling. These results have implications for the development of new therapies of lung injury and endotheliopathy in COVID-19. FUNDING The project was supported by ISCIII, Spain (COV-20/00792 to MB, PI23/01351 to MARH) and the European Commission-Next generation EU (European Union) (Regulation EU 2020/2094), through CSIC's Global Health Platform (PTI Salud Global, SGL2103029 to MB). PID2019-110587RB-I00 (MB) supported by MICIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/and PID2022-143034OB-I00 (MB) by MICIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/FEDER. MAR-H acknowledges support from ISCIII, Spain and the European Commission-Next generation EU (European Union), through CSIC's Global Health PTI.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Ángeles Rodríguez-Hernández
- Area of Liver, Digestive and Inflammatory Diseases, Institute of Biomedicine of Seville (IBiS), Virgen del Rocio University Hospital (HUVR), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), University of Seville (US), Seville, Spain.
| | - Mercedes Baena-Bustos
- Pneumology Unit, Institute of Biomedicine of Seville (IBiS), Virgen Macarena University Hospital (HUVM), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), University of Seville (US), Seville, Spain
| | - David Carneros
- Area of Liver, Digestive and Inflammatory Diseases, Institute of Biomedicine of Seville (IBiS), Virgen del Rocio University Hospital (HUVR), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), University of Seville (US), Seville, Spain
| | - Carola Zurita-Palomo
- Area of Liver, Digestive and Inflammatory Diseases, Institute of Biomedicine of Seville (IBiS), Virgen del Rocio University Hospital (HUVR), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), University of Seville (US), Seville, Spain
| | - Pablo Muñoz-Pinillos
- Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa (CBM), CSIC-UAM, Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain
| | - Jaime Millán
- Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa (CBM), CSIC-UAM, Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain
| | - Francisco Javier Padillo
- Area of Liver, Digestive and Inflammatory Diseases, Institute of Biomedicine of Seville (IBiS), Virgen del Rocio University Hospital (HUVR), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), University of Seville (US), Seville, Spain
| | - Cristian Smerdou
- Division of DNA and RNA Medicine, Cima Universidad de Navarra, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra (IdISNA), and CCUN, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Cayetano von Kobbe
- Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa (CBM), CSIC-UAM, Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Matilde Bustos
- Area of Liver, Digestive and Inflammatory Diseases, Institute of Biomedicine of Seville (IBiS), Virgen del Rocio University Hospital (HUVR), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), University of Seville (US), Seville, Spain.
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Qin J, Wang G, Han D. Mesenchymal Stem Cells on Mortality in COVID-19 Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Stem Cell Rev Rep 2024; 20:931-937. [PMID: 38427315 DOI: 10.1007/s12015-024-10705-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues, and the death toll continues to surge. This meta-analysis aimed to determine the efficacy of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) on mortality in patients with COVID-19. METHODS A systematic search was made of PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and clinicaltrials.gov, without language restrictions. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on treatment of COVID-19 with MSCs, compared with placebo or blank, were reviewed. Studies were pooled to risk ratios (RRs), with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS Seventeen RCTs (enrolling 1019 participants) met the inclusion criteria. MSCs showed significant effect on 28-day mortality (RR 0.76, 95% CI 0.62 to 0.93; P = 0.008). There was no statistically significant difference in 60-day mortality (RR 0.87, 95% CI 0.70 to 1.09; P = 0.22), and 90-day mortality (RR 0.91, 95% CI 0.72 to 1.15; P = 0.44) between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS MSCs significantly reduced 28-day mortality in patients with COVID-19. The long-term effect of MSCs on mortality require further study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinlv Qin
- Radioimmunoassay Center, Shaanxi Provincial People's Hospital, Xi'an, 710068, Shaanxi, China
| | - Guizuo Wang
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Shaanxi Provincial People's Hospital, No. 256, West Youyi Road, Xi'an, 710068, Shaanxi, China
| | - Dong Han
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Shaanxi Provincial People's Hospital, No. 256, West Youyi Road, Xi'an, 710068, Shaanxi, China.
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36
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Lyu S, Adegboye O, Adhinugraha KM, Emeto TI, Taniar D. Analysing the impact of comorbid conditions and media coverage on online symptom search data: a novel AI-based approach for COVID-19 tracking. Infect Dis (Lond) 2024; 56:348-358. [PMID: 38305899 DOI: 10.1080/23744235.2024.2311281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 02/03/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Web search data have proven to bea valuable early indicator of COVID-19 outbreaks. However, the influence of co-morbid conditions with similar symptoms and the effect of media coverage on symptom-related searches are often overlooked, leading to potential inaccuracies in COVID-19 simulations. METHOD This study introduces a machine learning-based approach to estimate the magnitude of the impact of media coverage and comorbid conditions with similar symptoms on online symptom searches, based on two scenarios with quantile levels 10-90 and 25-75. An incremental batch learning RNN-LSTM model was then developed for the COVID-19 simulation in Australia and New Zealand, allowing the model to dynamically simulate different infection rates and transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2 variants. RESULT The COVID-19 infected person-directed symptom searches were found to account for only a small proportion of the total search volume (on average 33.68% in Australia vs. 36.89% in New Zealand) compared to searches influenced by media coverage and comorbid conditions (on average 44.88% in Australia vs. 50.94% in New Zealand). The proposed method, which incorporates estimated symptom component ratios into the RNN-LSTM embedding model, significantly improved COVID-19 simulation performance. CONCLUSION Media coverage and comorbid conditions with similar symptoms dominate the total number of online symptom searches, suggesting that direct use of online symptom search data in COVID-19 simulations may overestimate COVID-19 infections. Our approach provides new insights into the accurate estimation of COVID-19 infections using online symptom searches, thereby assisting governments in developing complementary methods for public health surveillance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiyang Lyu
- School of Computer Science, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Oyelola Adegboye
- Menzies School of Health Research, Darwin, Charles Darwin University, NT, Australia
| | | | - Theophilus I Emeto
- Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia
| | - David Taniar
- School of Computer Science, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
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Moustafa IM, Ahbouch A, Kader RP, Shousha TM, Alrahoomi A. A Comparison of Sensorimotor Integration and Motor Fitness Components between Collegiate Athletes with and without Long COVID: A Cross-Sectional Study with Pair-Matched Controls. J Clin Med 2024; 13:2469. [PMID: 38730998 PMCID: PMC11084506 DOI: 10.3390/jcm13092469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2024] [Revised: 03/24/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Background: Long COVID presents a concern for collegiate athletes, potentially impacting sensorimotor processing and motor fitness. This study aimed to assess these effects. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 60 athletes diagnosed with Long COVID and 60 controls. Sensorimotor processing and integration were evaluated using neurophysiological variables (N13, P14, N20, P27, and N30), while motor fitness was assessed through balance, agility, and vertical jump testing. T-tests compared groups, and Pearson's correlations explored relationships. Results: Significant differences (p < 0.001) were observed in neurophysiological variables and motor fitness between Long COVID and control groups. Fatigue correlated positively (p < 0.001) with neurophysiological variables in Long COVID cases but not with motor fitness (p = 0.08, p = 0.07, p = 0.09). Conclusions: Collegiate athletes with Long COVID exhibit abnormal sensorimotor processing, integration, and diminished motor fitness compared to uninfected peers. The fatigue severity of Long COVID correlates with neurophysiological changes, suggesting a link between sensorimotor deficits and fatigue. Targeted interventions for sensorimotor deficits and fatigue management are crucial for athletes recovering from Long COVID. This study underscores the importance of addressing these issues to optimize the recovery and performance of collegiate athletes affected by Long COVID.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ibrahim M. Moustafa
- Department of Physiotherapy, College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, United Arab Emirates; (A.A.); (R.P.K.); (T.M.S.)
- Neuromusculoskeletal Rehabilitation Research Group, RIMHS–Research Institute of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, United Arab Emirates
- Faculty of Physical Therapy, Cairo University, Giza 12613, Egypt
| | - Amal Ahbouch
- Department of Physiotherapy, College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, United Arab Emirates; (A.A.); (R.P.K.); (T.M.S.)
- Neuromusculoskeletal Rehabilitation Research Group, RIMHS–Research Institute of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, United Arab Emirates
| | - Raheesa P. Kader
- Department of Physiotherapy, College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, United Arab Emirates; (A.A.); (R.P.K.); (T.M.S.)
| | - Tamer Mohamed Shousha
- Department of Physiotherapy, College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, United Arab Emirates; (A.A.); (R.P.K.); (T.M.S.)
- Neuromusculoskeletal Rehabilitation Research Group, RIMHS–Research Institute of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, United Arab Emirates
- Faculty of Physical Therapy, Cairo University, Giza 12613, Egypt
| | - Abdulla Alrahoomi
- Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Department, Healthpoint Hospital, Abu Dhabi P.O. Box 112308, United Arab Emirates;
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Negri A, Barazzetti A, Rinzivillo A, Mariani R, Di Monte C. Cognitive and Relational Processes Associated to Mental Health in Italian High School Students during COVID-19 and Russian-Ukrainian War Outbreaks. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2024; 21:508. [PMID: 38673420 PMCID: PMC11050012 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph21040508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2024] [Revised: 03/26/2024] [Accepted: 04/14/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
The negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health has been widely demonstrated; however, few studies have investigated the psychological processes involved in this impact, including core beliefs violation, meaning-making disruption, interpersonal support, or one's relational functioning. This study explored the mental health of 215 Italian adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war. By administering a set of questionnaires, several cognitive and emotional variables were investigated, including core belief violation, meaning attribution to the pandemic and war, attachment, and emotion regulation, social media addiction, and relationships with significant others and teachers. We conducted some descriptive, mean difference, correlational, and predictive analyses that revealed a significant association between core belief violation caused by war and pandemic, ability to integrate war and pandemic within personal meaning universe, the relational support received, and mental health. The relationship with teachers during these challenging periods improved significantly according to the respondents' opinion, becoming both more authoritative and empathic. This study offers insights into what cognitive and relational processes are useful to intervene on to reduce the distress of adolescents who are facing significant moments of crisis due to events that challenge their cognitive and emotional balance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Attà Negri
- Department of Human and Social Sciences, University of Bergamo, 24129 Bergamo, Italy;
| | - Arianna Barazzetti
- Department of Human and Social Sciences, University of Bergamo, 24129 Bergamo, Italy;
| | | | - Rachele Mariani
- Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology and Health Studies “Sapienza”, University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy; (R.M.); (C.D.M.)
| | - Cinzia Di Monte
- Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology and Health Studies “Sapienza”, University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy; (R.M.); (C.D.M.)
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Patel MA, Fraser DD, Daley M, Cepinskas G, Veraldi N, Grazioli S. The plasma proteome differentiates the multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) from children with SARS-CoV-2 negative sepsis. Mol Med 2024; 30:51. [PMID: 38632526 PMCID: PMC11022403 DOI: 10.1186/s10020-024-00806-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2023] [Accepted: 03/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) can develop several weeks after SARS-CoV-2 infection and requires a distinct treatment protocol. Distinguishing MIS-C from SARS-CoV-2 negative sepsis (SCNS) patients is important to quickly institute the correct therapies. We performed targeted proteomics and machine learning analysis to identify novel plasma proteins of MIS-C for early disease recognition. METHODS A case-control study comparing the expression of 2,870 unique blood proteins in MIS-C versus SCNS patients, measured using proximity extension assays. The 2,870 proteins were reduced in number with either feature selection alone or with a prior COMBAT-Seq batch effect adjustment. The leading proteins were correlated with demographic and clinical variables. Organ system and cell type expression patterns were analyzed with Natural Language Processing (NLP). RESULTS The cohorts were well-balanced for age and sex. Of the 2,870 unique blood proteins, 58 proteins were identified with feature selection (FDR-adjusted P < 0.005, P < 0.0001; accuracy = 0.96, AUC = 1.00, F1 = 0.95), and 15 proteins were identified with a COMBAT-Seq batch effect adjusted feature selection (FDR-adjusted P < 0.05, P < 0.0001; accuracy = 0.92, AUC = 1.00, F1 = 0.89). All of the latter 15 proteins were present in the former 58-protein model. Several proteins were correlated with illness severity scores, length of stay, and interventions (LTA4H, PTN, PPBP, and EGF; P < 0.001). NLP analysis highlighted the multi-system nature of MIS-C, with the 58-protein set expressed in all organ systems; the highest levels of expression were found in the digestive system. The cell types most involved included leukocytes not yet determined, lymphocytes, macrophages, and platelets. CONCLUSIONS The plasma proteome of MIS-C patients was distinct from that of SCNS. The key proteins demonstrated expression in all organ systems and most cell types. The unique proteomic signature identified in MIS-C patients could aid future diagnostic and therapeutic advancements, as well as predict hospital length of stays, interventions, and mortality risks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maitray A Patel
- Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Western University, N6A 3K7, London, ON, Canada
| | - Douglas D Fraser
- Lawson Health Research Institute, N6C 2R5, London, ON, Canada.
- Children's Health Research Institute, N6C 4V3, London, ON, Canada.
- Pediatrics, Western University, N6A 3K7, London, ON, Canada.
- Clinical Neurological Sciences, Western University, N6A 3K7, London, ON, Canada.
- Physiology & Pharmacology, Western University, N6A 3K7, London, ON, Canada.
- London Health Sciences Centre, Room C2-C82, 800 Commissioners Road East, N6A 5W9, London, ON, Canada.
| | - Mark Daley
- Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Western University, N6A 3K7, London, ON, Canada
- Computer Science, Western University, N6A 3K7, London, ON, Canada
| | - Gediminas Cepinskas
- Lawson Health Research Institute, N6C 2R5, London, ON, Canada
- Medical Biophysics, Western University, N6A 3K7, London, ON, Canada
| | - Noemi Veraldi
- Department of Pediatrics, Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Serge Grazioli
- Department of Pediatrics, Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Division of Neonatal and Pediatric Intensive Care, Department of Child, Woman, and Adolescent Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
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Santiaguel JM, Zamora MKS. Tocilizumab in Severe and Critical COVID-19 Pneumonia: Streamlining the Mixed Signals. ACTA MEDICA PHILIPPINA 2024; 58:3-4. [PMID: 38846162 PMCID: PMC11151124 DOI: 10.47895/amp.v58i6.10156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2024]
Abstract
Four years since the start of the pandemic, the first lockdown in Manila happened on March 15, 2020 causing a pandemonium in the metro as the Filipinos gear up for the unexpected. As the suspected and confirmed cases grew, case numbers of unidentified patients soon became friends, relatives, and loved ones. As of May 2023 1 , there have been more than 1.3 million confirmed COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila alone with almost 14,000 deaths from severe and critical cases.
The current knowledge about the disease as well as the explanation of its widely varied symptomatology continues to evolve. 2-4 At the center of the discussion for severe and critical COVID-19 requiring hospitalization is the hyperactivation ofthe inflammatory response resulting to simultaneous increase in multiple cytokines. 4,5 Such an inflammatory cascade results in nonspecific inflammatory reaction from damaged or dysfunctional virus-infected host cells making it difficult to identify a specific mediator of inflammatory response. 5,6 It is therefore not surprising that multiple therapeutic trials done targeting specific cytokines such as IL-6 and TNF-a have also led to mixed results. 7-10
Since 2020, aggressive research has allowed both the development of new medications as well as repurposing of other molecules in the treatment of COVID-19. Antiviral drugs, monoclonal antibodies, IL-6R inhibitor/immune modulators, andsystemic corticosteroids have become household names. 6 IL-6, an identified key propagator of the cytokine storm in severe and critical COVID, has been the focus of the noise as mechanistically, IL-6 blockers including tocilizumab and sarilumabtheoretically disrupt the inflammatory cascade. 5-7
If mechanistically, IL-6 blockers, particularly tocilizumab can block the inflammatory cascade, why are there mixed signals on its benefit based on real-world evidence? 7-10
One of the largest and most recently published systematic review and meta-analysis of 15 randomized and two non- randomized clinical trials evaluating the effect of tocilizumab on the clinical outcomes of COVID-19 patients11 showed acombined cumulative risk of death in COVID-19 patients of 0.93 (RR 0.93, 95% CI 0.86 – 1.00, i 2 72.39%). The need for invasive ventilation, ICU admission was at 1.04 (RR 1.04, 95% CI 0.90 – 1.20, i 2 0.00). These figures indicate a 7% decreasedrisk of death with a 4% increased risk of ICU admission and need for invasive ventilation, again indicating mixed signals on the perceived benefit of tocilizumab. 11 Limitations in the study results compared to controlled clinical trials are probablydue to (1) heterogeneity of the patients with severe and critically ill COVID-19 patients potentially having different degrees of inflammatory activities; (2) timing of administration of tocilizumab; (3) different administrative and hospital policies inthe management of more ill patients suffering from COVID-19; and (4) presence of multiple inflammatory cytokines aside from IL-6, making it difficult to pinpoint the specific key mediator of inflammatory response on a per-patient basis.
The local randomized controlled trial published by Amante et al.12 agree with these mixed signals from the published literature in COVID-19. In both intention-to-treat and per-protocol-analysis, there was no statistical significance and clinicalbenefit of using tocilizumab for severe and critically ill patients. Four years later, the picture is clearer now as real-world evidence coupled with carefully conducted clinical trials provide us a better understanding of the use of tocilizumab for current cases. However, back in 2020, when this mysterious respiratory illness is wreaking havoc, medications both newly developed and repurposed were offered as the medical research community was challenged by a pandemic in an unprecedented manner.
As COVID-19 becomes endemic, the search for the cure for severe COVID-19 remains to be discovered. Given its mixed signals, shared decision making (pending confirmation in further studies) between the patient, caregiver, and the physician remains the cornerstone of management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joel M Santiaguel
- Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Department of Medicine, Philippine General Hospital, University of the Philippines Manila
| | - Mithi Kalayaan S Zamora
- Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Department of Medicine, Philippine General Hospital, University of the Philippines Manila
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Angulo-Aguado M, Carrillo-Martinez JC, Contreras-Bravo NC, Morel A, Parra-Abaunza K, Usaquén W, Fonseca-Mendoza DJ, Ortega-Recalde O. Next-generation sequencing of host genetics risk factors associated with COVID-19 severity and long-COVID in Colombian population. Sci Rep 2024; 14:8497. [PMID: 38605121 PMCID: PMC11009356 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-57982-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2023] [Accepted: 03/24/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was considered a major public health burden worldwide. Multiple studies have shown that susceptibility to severe infections and the development of long-term symptoms is significantly influenced by viral and host factors. These findings have highlighted the potential of host genetic markers to identify high-risk individuals and develop target interventions to reduce morbimortality. Despite its importance, genetic host factors remain largely understudied in Latin-American populations. Using a case-control design and a custom next-generation sequencing (NGS) panel encompassing 81 genetic variants and 74 genes previously associated with COVID-19 severity and long-COVID, we analyzed 56 individuals with asymptomatic or mild COVID-19 and 56 severe and critical cases. In agreement with previous studies, our results support the association between several clinical variables, including male sex, obesity and common symptoms like cough and dyspnea, and severe COVID-19. Remarkably, thirteen genetic variants showed an association with COVID-19 severity. Among these variants, rs11385942 (p < 0.01; OR = 10.88; 95% CI = 1.36-86.51) located in the LZTFL1 gene, and rs35775079 (p = 0.02; OR = 8.53; 95% CI = 1.05-69.45) located in CCR3 showed the strongest associations. Various respiratory and systemic symptoms, along with the rs8178521 variant (p < 0.01; OR = 2.51; 95% CI = 1.27-4.94) in the IL10RB gene, were significantly associated with the presence of long-COVID. The results of the predictive model comparison showed that the mixed model, which incorporates genetic and non-genetic variables, outperforms clinical and genetic models. To our knowledge, this is the first study in Colombia and Latin-America proposing a predictive model for COVID-19 severity and long-COVID based on genomic analysis. Our study highlights the usefulness of genomic approaches to studying host genetic risk factors in specific populations. The methodology used allowed us to validate several genetic variants previously associated with COVID-19 severity and long-COVID. Finally, the integrated model illustrates the importance of considering genetic factors in precision medicine of infectious diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana Angulo-Aguado
- School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Center for Research in Genetics and Genomics (CIGGUR), Institute of Translational Medicine (IMT), Universidad Del Rosario, Bogotá, D.C, Colombia
| | - Juan Camilo Carrillo-Martinez
- School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Center for Research in Genetics and Genomics (CIGGUR), Institute of Translational Medicine (IMT), Universidad Del Rosario, Bogotá, D.C, Colombia
| | - Nora Constanza Contreras-Bravo
- School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Center for Research in Genetics and Genomics (CIGGUR), Institute of Translational Medicine (IMT), Universidad Del Rosario, Bogotá, D.C, Colombia
| | - Adrien Morel
- School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Center for Research in Genetics and Genomics (CIGGUR), Institute of Translational Medicine (IMT), Universidad Del Rosario, Bogotá, D.C, Colombia
| | | | - William Usaquén
- Populations Genetics and Identification Group, Institute of Genetics, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, D.C, Colombia
| | - Dora Janeth Fonseca-Mendoza
- School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Center for Research in Genetics and Genomics (CIGGUR), Institute of Translational Medicine (IMT), Universidad Del Rosario, Bogotá, D.C, Colombia
| | - Oscar Ortega-Recalde
- School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Center for Research in Genetics and Genomics (CIGGUR), Institute of Translational Medicine (IMT), Universidad Del Rosario, Bogotá, D.C, Colombia.
- Departamento de Morfología, Facultad de Medicina e Instituto de Genética, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, D.C, Colombia.
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Nhau PT, Gamede M, Sibiya N. COVID-19-Induced Diabetes Mellitus: Comprehensive Cellular and Molecular Mechanistic Insights. PATHOPHYSIOLOGY 2024; 31:197-209. [PMID: 38651404 PMCID: PMC11036300 DOI: 10.3390/pathophysiology31020016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2024] [Revised: 04/06/2024] [Accepted: 04/07/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Despite evidence demonstrating the risks of developing diabetes mellitus because of SARS-CoV-2, there is, however, insufficient scientific data available to elucidate the relationship between diabetes mellitus and COVID-19. Research indicates that SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with persistent damage to organ systems due to the systemic inflammatory response. Since COVID-19 is known to induce these conditions, further investigation is necessary to fully understand its long-term effects on human health. Consequently, it is essential to consider the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic when predicting the prevalence of diabetes mellitus in the future, especially since the incidence of diabetes mellitus was already on the rise before the pandemic. Additional research is required to fully comprehend the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity. Therefore, this article delves deeper into the current literature and links the perceived relationship between SARS-CoV-2 and diabetes. In addition, the article highlights the necessity for further research to fully grasp the mechanisms that SARS-CoV-2 utilises to induce new-onset diabetes. Where understanding and consensus are reached, therapeutic interventions to prevent the onset of diabetes could be proposed. Lastly, we propose advocating for the regular screening of diabetes and pre-diabetes, particularly for the high-risk population with a history of COVID-19 infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Praise Tatenda Nhau
- Pharmacology Division, Faculty of Pharmacy, Rhodes University, Makhanda 6139, South Africa;
| | - Mlindeli Gamede
- Human Physiology Department, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0028, South Africa;
| | - Ntethelelo Sibiya
- Pharmacology Division, Faculty of Pharmacy, Rhodes University, Makhanda 6139, South Africa;
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Naidu AS, Wang CK, Rao P, Mancini F, Clemens RA, Wirakartakusumah A, Chiu HF, Yen CH, Porretta S, Mathai I, Naidu SAG. Precision nutrition to reset virus-induced human metabolic reprogramming and dysregulation (HMRD) in long-COVID. NPJ Sci Food 2024; 8:19. [PMID: 38555403 PMCID: PMC10981760 DOI: 10.1038/s41538-024-00261-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024] Open
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2, the etiological agent of COVID-19, is devoid of any metabolic capacity; therefore, it is critical for the viral pathogen to hijack host cellular metabolic machinery for its replication and propagation. This single-stranded RNA virus with a 29.9 kb genome encodes 14 open reading frames (ORFs) and initiates a plethora of virus-host protein-protein interactions in the human body. These extensive viral protein interactions with host-specific cellular targets could trigger severe human metabolic reprogramming/dysregulation (HMRD), a rewiring of sugar-, amino acid-, lipid-, and nucleotide-metabolism(s), as well as altered or impaired bioenergetics, immune dysfunction, and redox imbalance in the body. In the infectious process, the viral pathogen hijacks two major human receptors, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)-2 and/or neuropilin (NRP)-1, for initial adhesion to cell surface; then utilizes two major host proteases, TMPRSS2 and/or furin, to gain cellular entry; and finally employs an endosomal enzyme, cathepsin L (CTSL) for fusogenic release of its viral genome. The virus-induced HMRD results in 5 possible infectious outcomes: asymptomatic, mild, moderate, severe to fatal episodes; while the symptomatic acute COVID-19 condition could manifest into 3 clinical phases: (i) hypoxia and hypoxemia (Warburg effect), (ii) hyperferritinemia ('cytokine storm'), and (iii) thrombocytosis (coagulopathy). The mean incubation period for COVID-19 onset was estimated to be 5.1 days, and most cases develop symptoms after 14 days. The mean viral clearance times were 24, 30, and 39 days for acute, severe, and ICU-admitted COVID-19 patients, respectively. However, about 25-70% of virus-free COVID-19 survivors continue to sustain virus-induced HMRD and exhibit a wide range of symptoms that are persistent, exacerbated, or new 'onset' clinical incidents, collectively termed as post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) or long COVID. PASC patients experience several debilitating clinical condition(s) with >200 different and overlapping symptoms that may last for weeks to months. Chronic PASC is a cumulative outcome of at least 10 different HMRD-related pathophysiological mechanisms involving both virus-derived virulence factors and a multitude of innate host responses. Based on HMRD and virus-free clinical impairments of different human organs/systems, PASC patients can be categorized into 4 different clusters or sub-phenotypes: sub-phenotype-1 (33.8%) with cardiac and renal manifestations; sub-phenotype-2 (32.8%) with respiratory, sleep and anxiety disorders; sub-phenotype-3 (23.4%) with skeleto-muscular and nervous disorders; and sub-phenotype-4 (10.1%) with digestive and pulmonary dysfunctions. This narrative review elucidates the effects of viral hijack on host cellular machinery during SARS-CoV-2 infection, ensuing detrimental effect(s) of virus-induced HMRD on human metabolism, consequential symptomatic clinical implications, and damage to multiple organ systems; as well as chronic pathophysiological sequelae in virus-free PASC patients. We have also provided a few evidence-based, human randomized controlled trial (RCT)-tested, precision nutrients to reset HMRD for health recovery of PASC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Satyanarayan Naidu
- Global Nutrition Healthcare Council (GNHC) Mission-COVID, Yorba Linda, CA, USA.
- N-terminus Research Laboratory, 232659 Via del Rio, Yorba Linda, CA, 92887, USA.
| | - Chin-Kun Wang
- Global Nutrition Healthcare Council (GNHC) Mission-COVID, Yorba Linda, CA, USA
- School of Nutrition, Chung Shan Medical University, 110, Section 1, Jianguo North Road, Taichung, 40201, Taiwan
| | - Pingfan Rao
- Global Nutrition Healthcare Council (GNHC) Mission-COVID, Yorba Linda, CA, USA
- College of Food and Bioengineering, Fujian Polytechnic Normal University, No.1, Campus New Village, Longjiang Street, Fuqing City, Fujian, China
| | - Fabrizio Mancini
- Global Nutrition Healthcare Council (GNHC) Mission-COVID, Yorba Linda, CA, USA
- President-Emeritus, Parker University, 2540 Walnut Hill Lane, Dallas, TX, 75229, USA
| | - Roger A Clemens
- Global Nutrition Healthcare Council (GNHC) Mission-COVID, Yorba Linda, CA, USA
- University of Southern California, Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy/D. K. Kim International Center for Regulatory & Quality Sciences, 1540 Alcazar St., CHP 140, Los Angeles, CA, 90089, USA
| | - Aman Wirakartakusumah
- International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST), Guelph, ON, Canada
- IPMI International Business School Jakarta; South East Asian Food and Agriculture Science and Technology, IPB University, Bogor, Indonesia
| | - Hui-Fang Chiu
- Department of Chinese Medicine, Taichung Hospital, Ministry of Health & Well-being, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Chi-Hua Yen
- Department of Family and Community Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital; School of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Sebastiano Porretta
- Global Nutrition Healthcare Council (GNHC) Mission-COVID, Yorba Linda, CA, USA
- President, Italian Association of Food Technology (AITA), Milan, Italy
- Experimental Station for the Food Preserving Industry, Department of Consumer Science, Viale Tanara 31/a, I-43121, Parma, Italy
| | - Issac Mathai
- Global Nutrition Healthcare Council (GNHC) Mission-COVID, Yorba Linda, CA, USA
- Soukya International Holistic Health Center, Whitefield, Bengaluru, India
| | - Sreus A G Naidu
- Global Nutrition Healthcare Council (GNHC) Mission-COVID, Yorba Linda, CA, USA
- N-terminus Research Laboratory, 232659 Via del Rio, Yorba Linda, CA, 92887, USA
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Constantin L, Ungurianu A, Streinu-Cercel A, Săndulescu O, Aramă V, Margină D, Țârcomnicu I. Investigation of Serum Endocan Levels in SARS-CoV-2 Patients. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:3042. [PMID: 38474287 PMCID: PMC10932032 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25053042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2024] [Revised: 02/27/2024] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Endocan is an endothelial-cell-specific proteoglycan (ESM-1) and has emerged as an endothelial dysfunction and inflammatory marker in recent years. Endocan can be used as a marker of inflammatory endothelial dysfunction in endothelium-dependent disease: cardiovascular disease, sepsis, lung and kidney disease and malignancies. Recent data suggest that endothelial dysfunction is a key mechanism in COVID-19 pathogenesis. Endotheliitis and thrombo-inflammation are associated with severe forms of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and endocan is currently under investigation as a potential diagnostic and prognostic marker. The aim of this study was to determine serum endocan levels in patients with COVID-19 to evaluate the correlation between endocan levels and clinical disease diagnosis and prognosis. This study enrolled 56 patients, divided into three groups depending on disease severity: mild (15), moderate (25) and severe (16). The biochemical, demographic, clinical and imagistic data were collected and evaluated in correlation with the endocan levels. Serum endocan levels were significantly higher in the COVID-19 patients compared to the control group; also, endocan concentration correlated with vaccination status. The results revealed significantly elevated serum endocan levels in COVID-19 patients compared to the control group, with a correlation observed between endocan concentration and vaccination status. These findings suggest that endocan may serve as a novel biomarker for detecting inflammation and endothelial dysfunction risk in COVID-19 patients. There was no significant relationship between serum endocan levels and disease severity or the presence of cardiovascular diseases. Endocan can be considered a novel biomarker for the detection of inflammation and endothelial dysfunction risk in COVID-19 patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Constantin
- National Institute of Infectious Diseases “Prof. Dr. Matei Bals”, 021105 Bucharest, Romania; (L.C.); (A.S.-C.); (V.A.); (I.Ț.)
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020956 Bucharest, Romania;
| | - Anca Ungurianu
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020956 Bucharest, Romania;
| | - Anca Streinu-Cercel
- National Institute of Infectious Diseases “Prof. Dr. Matei Bals”, 021105 Bucharest, Romania; (L.C.); (A.S.-C.); (V.A.); (I.Ț.)
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020956 Bucharest, Romania;
| | - Oana Săndulescu
- National Institute of Infectious Diseases “Prof. Dr. Matei Bals”, 021105 Bucharest, Romania; (L.C.); (A.S.-C.); (V.A.); (I.Ț.)
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020956 Bucharest, Romania;
| | - Victoria Aramă
- National Institute of Infectious Diseases “Prof. Dr. Matei Bals”, 021105 Bucharest, Romania; (L.C.); (A.S.-C.); (V.A.); (I.Ț.)
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020956 Bucharest, Romania;
| | - Denisa Margină
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020956 Bucharest, Romania;
| | - Isabela Țârcomnicu
- National Institute of Infectious Diseases “Prof. Dr. Matei Bals”, 021105 Bucharest, Romania; (L.C.); (A.S.-C.); (V.A.); (I.Ț.)
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Bogacheva MS, Kuivanen S, Potdar S, Hassinen A, Huuskonen S, Pöhner I, Luck TJ, Turunen L, Feodoroff M, Szirovicza L, Savijoki K, Saarela J, Tammela P, Paavolainen L, Poso A, Varjosalo M, Kallioniemi O, Pietiäinen V, Vapalahti O. Drug repurposing platform for deciphering the druggable SARS-CoV-2 interactome. Antiviral Res 2024; 223:105813. [PMID: 38272320 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2024.105813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2023] [Revised: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has heavily challenged the global healthcare system. Despite the vaccination programs, the new virus variants are circulating. Further research is required for understanding of the biology of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and for discovery of therapeutic agents against the virus. Here, we took advantage of drug repurposing to identify if existing drugs could inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infection. We established an open high throughput platform for in vitro screening of drugs against SARS-CoV-2 infection. We screened ∼1000 drugs for their ability to inhibit SARS-CoV-2-induced cell death in the African green monkey kidney cell line (Vero-E6), analyzed how the hit compounds affect the viral N (nucleocapsid) protein expression in human cell lines using high-content microscopic imaging and analysis, determined the hit drug targets in silico, and assessed their ability to cause phospholipidosis, which can interfere with the viral replication. Duvelisib was found by in silico interaction assay as a potential drug targeting virus-host protein interactions. The predicted interaction between PARP1 and S protein, affected by Duvelisib, was further validated by immunoprecipitation. Our results represent a rapidly applicable platform for drug repurposing and evaluation of the new emerging viruses' responses to the drugs. Further in silico studies help us to discover the druggable host pathways involved in the infectious cycle of SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariia S Bogacheva
- Department of Virology, Medicum, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), Helsinki Institute of Life Sciences (HiLIFE), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
| | - Suvi Kuivanen
- Department of Virology, Medicum, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Swapnil Potdar
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), Helsinki Institute of Life Sciences (HiLIFE), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Antti Hassinen
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), Helsinki Institute of Life Sciences (HiLIFE), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Sini Huuskonen
- Institute of Biotechnology, HiLIFE, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Ina Pöhner
- Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Tamara J Luck
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), Helsinki Institute of Life Sciences (HiLIFE), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Laura Turunen
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), Helsinki Institute of Life Sciences (HiLIFE), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Michaela Feodoroff
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), Helsinki Institute of Life Sciences (HiLIFE), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; Drug Research Program, Division of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Leonora Szirovicza
- Department of Virology, Medicum, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Kirsi Savijoki
- Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jani Saarela
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), Helsinki Institute of Life Sciences (HiLIFE), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Päivi Tammela
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), Helsinki Institute of Life Sciences (HiLIFE), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; Institute of Biotechnology, HiLIFE, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Lassi Paavolainen
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), Helsinki Institute of Life Sciences (HiLIFE), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Antti Poso
- Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; Department of Internal Medicine VIII, University Hospital Tubingen, Tubingen, Germany
| | - Markku Varjosalo
- Institute of Biotechnology, HiLIFE, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Olli Kallioniemi
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), Helsinki Institute of Life Sciences (HiLIFE), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; Science for Life Laboratory (SciLifeLab), Department of Oncology and Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
| | - Vilja Pietiäinen
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), Helsinki Institute of Life Sciences (HiLIFE), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Olli Vapalahti
- Department of Virology, Medicum, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; HUS Diagnostic Center, HUSLAB, Clinical Microbiology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
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Asiaee M, Nourbakhsh M, Vahedian-Azimi A, Zare M, Jafari R, Atashi SS, Keramatfar A. The feasibility of using acoustic measures for predicting the Total Opacity Scores of chest computed tomography scans in patients with COVID-19. CLINICAL LINGUISTICS & PHONETICS 2024; 38:97-115. [PMID: 36592050 DOI: 10.1080/02699206.2022.2160659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2021] [Revised: 12/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
To study the possibility of using acoustic parameters, i.e., Acoustic Voice Quality Index (AVQI) and Maximum Phonation Time (MPT) for predicting the degree of lung involvement in COVID-19 patients. This cross-sectional case-control study was conducted on the voice samples collected from 163 healthy individuals and 181 patients with COVID-19. Each participant produced a sustained vowel/a/, and a phonetically balanced Persian text containing 36 syllables. AVQI and MPT were measured using Praat scripts. Each patient underwent a non-enhanced chest computed tomographic scan and the Total Opacity score was rated to assess the degree of lung involvement. The results revealed significant differences between patients with COVID-19 and healthy individuals in terms of AVQI and MPT. A significant difference was also observed between male and female participants in AVQI and MPT. The results from the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis and area under the curve indicated that MPT (0.909) had higher diagnostic accuracy than AVQI (0.771). A significant relationship was observed between AVQI and TO scores. In the case of MPT, however, no such relationship was observed. The findings indicated that MPT was a better classifier in differentiating patients from healthy individuals, in comparison with AVQI. The results also showed that AVQI can be used as a predictor of the degree of patients' and recovered individuals' lung involvement. A formula is suggested for calculating the degree of lung involvement using AVQI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maral Asiaee
- Department of Linguistics, Faculty of Literature, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mandana Nourbakhsh
- Department of Linguistics, Faculty of Literature, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Amir Vahedian-Azimi
- Trauma Research Center, Nursing faculty, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad Zare
- Department of Statistics, Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science, Amirkabir University of Technology (Tehran Polytechnic), Tehran, Iran
| | - Ramezan Jafari
- Department of Radiology, Health Research Center, Lifestyle Institute, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Seyed Shahab Atashi
- Department of Food and Drug control, Jundishapour University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
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Lu Y, Lou J, Yu B, Bu Y, Ni F, Lu D. The prevalence and risk of depression in aged COVID-19 survivors: a bibliometric and meta-analysis. Psychogeriatrics 2024; 24:458-472. [PMID: 38115236 DOI: 10.1111/psyg.13057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2023] [Revised: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/26/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
To explore depression prevalence and related risk factors among elderly coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) survivors, while also evaluating research characteristics. We searched Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, Scopus, CNKI and Wanfang Data for studies that reported COVID-19 and depression in older adults. 'Bibliometrix' facilitated bibliometric analysis and information visualisation. Random-effects models merged depression prevalence and relevant risks. Publication bias and its impact were examined using funnel plots, Begg's test, Egger's linear regression, and trim-and-fill method. Meta-regression, bubble plots, and Baujat plots probed heterogeneity. Sensitivity analysis applied the leave-one-out method. The study is registered with PROSPERO, CRD42023417706. The bibliometric analysis comprised 138 studies. Publication frequency peaked in the US, China, and Italy, reflecting significant growth. The meta-analysis comprised 43 studies. Elderly COVID-19 patients exhibit 28.33% depression prevalence (95% CI: 21.24-35.97). Severe cases (43.91%, 95% CI: 32.28-55.88) experienced higher depression prevalence than mild cases (16.45%, 95% CI: 11.92-21.50). Sex had no depression prevalence impact based on bubble plots. Notably, depression risk did not significantly differ between elderly and young COVID-19 patients (odds ratio (OR) = 1.1808, 95% CI: 0.7323-1.9038). However, COVID-19 infection emerged as a substantial elderly depression risk factor (OR = 1.8521, 95% CI: 1.2877-2.6639). Sensitivity analysis confirmed result robustness. Elderly COVID-19 survivors are likely to develop depression symptoms with regional variations. Severe cases are associated with heightened depression prevalence. COVID-19 infection stands out as a key elderly depression risk factor, while sex does not influence prevalence. The field's expansion necessitates sustained collaboration and extensive research endeavours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yangguang Lu
- The First School of Medicine, School of Information and Engineering, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Jialing Lou
- The First School of Medicine, School of Information and Engineering, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Bohuai Yu
- The First School of Medicine, School of Information and Engineering, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Yiran Bu
- The First School of Medicine, School of Information and Engineering, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Feitian Ni
- The Second Affiliated College, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Di Lu
- Tongde Hospital of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China
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48
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Tohidast SA, Mansuri B, Memarian M, Ghobakhloo AH, Scherer RC. Voice Quality and Vocal Tract Discomfort Symptoms in Patients With COVID-19. J Voice 2024; 38:542.e29-542.e33. [PMID: 34776316 PMCID: PMC8511652 DOI: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2021.09.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2021] [Revised: 09/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Dysphonia and laryngeal problems are some of the manifestations of the COVID-19 pandemic due to respiratory disease as a primary effect of COVID-19. The aim of the present study was to investigate voice quality and vocal tract discomfort symptoms in patients with COVID-19. MATERIALS AND METHODS Forty-four COVID-19 patients with a mean age of 49.61 ± 16.48 years and 44 healthy subjects with a mean age of 48.52 ± 13.8 years participated in the study. The voice quality of the participants was evaluated using auditory-perceptual evaluation with the Grade, Roughness, Breathiness, Asthenia, and Strain (GRBAS) scale. The vocal tract discomfort symptoms of the participants were assessed using the Persian version of the VTD scale. RESULTS Patients with COVID-19 had higher scores in all items of the GRBAS, including grade, roughness, breathiness, asthenia, and strain, than healthy subjects, and these differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05). Among the GRBAS parameters, grade had the highest effect size and asthenia had the lowest effect size in both speech tasks. The COVID-19 patients had a greater frequency of vocal tract discomfort symptoms than healthy subjects in all items of the VTDp scale and these differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05) in the following items: burning, tight, dry, pain, sore, irritable, and lump in the throat. The most and the least effect size in frequency of the vocal tract discomfort symptoms were related to dry (d = 1.502) and tickling (d = 0.157), respectively. Also, COVID-19 patients had more significant severity in all items of the VTDp scale except tight and tickling. The most and the least effect size in severity of the vocal tract discomfort symptoms was related to dry (d = 1.416) and tickling (d = 0.152), respectively. CONCLUSION The present study suggests that COVID-19 patients have more deviations in voice quality than healthy subjects. Moreover, mild vocal tract discomfort is prevalent in patients with COVID-19, and patients have more frequent and severe physical discomforts of the vocal tract than healthy subjects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seyed Abolfazl Tohidast
- Neuromuscular Rehabilitation Research Center, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
| | - Banafshe Mansuri
- Neuromuscular Rehabilitation Research Center, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran.
| | - Mohammad Memarian
- Department of Internal Medicine, Kowsar Hospital, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
| | | | - Ronald Callaway Scherer
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio
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Sinha M, Banerjee A, Kumar S, Mahto M, Kumari B, Ranjan A, Bansal A. Development of Predictive Models Based on Biochemical Parameters to Triage COVID-19 Patients: A Study Conducted in a Tertiary Care Hospital. Cureus 2024; 16:e56197. [PMID: 38618472 PMCID: PMC11016157 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.56197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Background The COVID-19 disease continues to cause severe mortality and morbidity. Biochemical parameters are being used to predict the severity of the infection. This study aims to predict disease severity and mortality to help reduce mortality through timely intervention in a cost-effective way. Methods A total of 324 COVID-19 cases admitted at our hospital (All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna, BR, India) between June 2020 to December 2020 (phase 1: 190 patients) and April 2021 to May 2021 (phase 2: 134 patients) were recruited for this study. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS Statistics version 23 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA) and model prediction using Python (The Python Software Foundation, Wilmington, DE, USA). Results There were significant differences in biochemical parameters at the time of admission among COVID-19 patients between phases 1 and 2, ICU and non-ICU admissions, and expired and discharged patients. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves predicted mortality solely based on biochemical parameters. Using multiple logistic regression in Python, a total of four models (two each) were developed to predict ICU admission and mortality. A total of 92 out of 96 patients were placed into the correct management category by our model. This model would have allowed us to preserve 17 of the 21 patients we lost. Conclusions We developed predictive models for admission (ICU or non-ICU) and mortality based on biochemical parameters at the time of admission. A predictive model with a significant predictive capability for IL-6 and procalcitonin values using normal biochemical parameters was proposed. Both can be used as machine learning tools to prognosticate the severity of COVID-19 infections. This study is probably the first of its kind to propose triage for admission in the ICU or non-ICU at the medical emergency department during the first presentation for the necessary optimal treatment of COVID-19 based on a predictive model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mainak Sinha
- General Surgery, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna, IND
| | - Ayan Banerjee
- Biochemistry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna, IND
| | - Sushil Kumar
- Biochemistry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna, IND
| | - Mala Mahto
- Biochemistry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna, IND
| | - Bandana Kumari
- Biochemistry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna, IND
| | - Alok Ranjan
- Community and Family Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna, IND
| | - Akash Bansal
- Biochemistry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Gorakhpur, IND
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50
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Zhou F, Vahokoski J, Langeland N, Cox RJ. Impact of ageing on homologous and human-coronavirus-reactive antibodies after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination or infection. NPJ Vaccines 2024; 9:37. [PMID: 38378953 PMCID: PMC10879087 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-024-00817-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024] Open
Abstract
The endemic human coronaviruses (HCoVs) circulate worldwide yet remain understudied and unmitigated. The observation of elevated levels of HCoV reactive antibodies in COVID-19 patients highlights the urgent necessity of better understanding of HCoV specific immunity. Here, we characterized in-depth the de novo SARS-CoV-2 specific antibody responses and the boosting of HCoV-reactive antibodies after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination or infection in individuals up to 98 years old. All the vaccinees were home-dwelling with no documented SARS-CoV-2 infection before receiving the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine (BNT162b2). The first two vaccine doses elicited potent SARS-CoV-2 spike binding antibodies in individuals up to 80 years. The third dose largely boosted the previously low S2 domain binding and neutralizing antibodies in elderly 80-90 years old, but less so in those above 90 years. The endemic betacoronavirus (HKU1 and OC43) reactive antibodies were boosted in all vaccinees, although to a lesser extent in those above 80 years old. COVID-19 patients had potent elevation of alpha- and betacoronavirus (229E, NL63, HKU1 and OC43) reactive antibodies. In both patients and vaccinees, S2 domain specific antibody increases correlated with SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing and HCoV-reactive antibody responses in all ages, indicating S2 domain as a candidate for future universal coronavirus vaccine design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fan Zhou
- Influenza Centre, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
| | - Juha Vahokoski
- Influenza Centre, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Nina Langeland
- Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Medicine, Haukeland University Hospitalen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Rebecca J Cox
- Influenza Centre, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Microbiology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
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