\ BIP! Finder for COVID-19 - Impact-based ranking

BIP! Finder for COVID-19

This version of BIP! Finder aims to ease the exploration of COVID-19-related literature by enabling ranking articles based on various impact metrics.

Last Update: 18 - 01 - 2023 (628506 entries)

Provided impact measures:
Popularity: Citation-based measure reflecting the current impact.
Influence: Citation-based measure reflecting the total impact.
Reader Attention: The current number of Mendeley readers.
Social Media Attention: The number of recent tweets related to this article.
*More details on these impact measures can be found here.
Score interpretations:
Exceptional score (in top 0.01%).
Substantial score (in top 1%).
Average score (in bottom 99%).
Score not available.
Main data sources:
CORD-19 dataset(1) (list of papers)
LitCovid hub(2) (list of papers)
PMC & PubMed (citations)
Mendeley (number of readers)
COVID-19-TweetIDs(3) (tweets)

Use:  Impact  Relevance & Impact
TitleVenueYearImpactSource
4501COVID-19: latest developments in potential treatments  

Many viral respiratory infections can cause severe acute respiratory symptoms leading to mortality and morbidity. In the spring of 2003, the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak caused by SARS-CoV spread globally. In the summer of 2012, the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) outbreak caused by MERS-CoV occurred in Saudi Arabia. In the winter of 2019, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak caused by a novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 occurred in China which rapidly spread worldwide causing a global pandemic. Up until 27 May 2020, there are 5.5 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 347,587 COVID-19 related deaths worldwide, and there has also been an unprecedented increase in socioeconomic and psychosocial issues related to COVID-19. This overview aims to review the current developments in preventive treatments and therapies for COVID-19. The development of vaccines for SARS-CoV-2 is ongoing and various clinical trials are currently underway around the world. It is hoped that existing antivirals including remdesivir and lopinavir-ritonavir might have roles in the treatment of COVID-19, but results from trials thus far have not been promising. COVID-19 causes a mild respiratory disease in the majority of cases, but in some cases, cytokine activation causes sepsis and acute respiratory distress syndrome, leading to morbidity and mortality. Immunomodulatory treatments and biologics are also being actively explored as therapeutics for COVID-19. On the other hand, the use of steroidal and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) has been discouraged based on concerns about their adverse effects. Over the past two decades, coronaviruses have caused major epidemics and outbreaks worldwide, whilst modern medicine has been playing catch-up all along.

Drugs Context2020       LitCov and CORD-19
4502SARS-CoV-2 pandemic lockdown: Effects on air quality in the industrialized Gujarat state of India  

Abstract Two weeks after the world health organization described the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak as pandemic, the Indian government implemented lockdown of industrial activities and traffic flows across the entire nation between March 24 and May 31, 2020. In this paper, we estimated the improvements achieved in air quality during the lockdown period (March 24, 2020 and April 20, 2020) compared to the pre-lockdown (January 1, 2020 and March 23, 2020) by analyzing PM2.5, PM10, SO4, CO, NO2 and O3 data from nine different air quality monitoring stations distributed across four different zones of the industrialized Gujarat state of western Indian. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)-Air Quality Index (AQI) illustrated better air qualities during the lockdown with higher improvements in the zones 2 (Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar) and 3 (Jamnagar and Rajkot), and moderate improvements in the zones 1 (Surat, Ankleshwar and Vadodra) and 4 (Bhuj and Palanpur). The concentrations of PM2.5, PM10, and NO2 were reduced by 38–78%, 32–80% and 30–84%, respectively. Functioning of the power plants possibly led to less reduction in CO (3–55%) and the declined emission of NO helped to improve O3 (16–48%) contents. We observed an overall improvement of 58% in AQI for the first four months of 2020 compared to the same interval of previous year. This positive outcome resulted from the lockdown restrictions might help to modify the existing environmental policies of the region.

Sci Total Environ2020       LitCov and CORD-19
4503Thromboembolic risk and anticoagulant therapy in COVID-19 patients: emerging evidence and call for action  

Emerging evidence shows that severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) can be complicated with coagulopathy, namely disseminated intravascular coagulation, which has a rather prothrombotic character with high risk of venous thromboembolism. The incidence of venous thromboembolism among COVID‐19 patients in intensive care units appears to be somewhat higher compared to that reported in other studies including such patients with other disease conditions. D‐dimer might help in early recognition of these high‐risk patients and also predict outcome. Preliminary data show that in patients with severe COVID‐19, anticoagulant therapy appears to be associated with lower mortality in the subpopulation meeting sepsis‐induced coagulopathy criteria or with markedly elevated d‐dimer. Recent recommendations suggest that all hospitalized COVID‐19 patients should receive thromboprophylaxis, or full therapeutic‐intensity anticoagulation if such an indication is present.

Br J Haematol2020       LitCov and CORD-19
4504Lay perspectives on social distancing and other official recommendations and regulations in the time of COVID-19: a qualitative study of social media posts  

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 caused by a new form of coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) first appeared in China end of 2019 and quickly spread to all counties of the world. To slow down the spread of the virus and to limit the pressure on the health care systems, different regulations and recommendations have been implemented by authorities, comprising amongst others the closure of all entertainment venues and social distancing. These measures have received mixed reactions, particularly from young individuals, with many not following available advice. Drawing on the information in social media discussion forums, the present study explores the reasons why people ignore the orders and recommendations of the authorities and why the authorities are unable to produce a shared sense of inclusion concerning protective measures against the COVID-19 outbreak. METHODS: Three open-access social media forums (Reddit, Twitter, and YouTube comments) were systematically searched with respect to COVID-19-related beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours of individuals. The data was retrieved in the first 3 weeks of March 2020. Qualitative document analysis and qualitative content analysis were used as the methodical approach. The data was reviewed by all authors and jointly interpreted to minimise inconsistencies. RESULTS: The study reveals that reasons such as information pollution on social media, the persistence of uncertainty about the rapidly spreading virus, the impact of the social environment on the individual, and fear of unemployment associated with inequality in the distribution of income lead people to ignore the orders and recommendations of the authorities. The findings suggest that government representatives and politicians could not produce a shared sense of inclusion concerning protective measures against the COVID-19 outbreak, due to not building trust among the public and taking concrete economic steps to satisfy them. CONCLUSION: In uncertain crises, transparency in the presentation of information and government policies emerge as influential determinants in creating social susceptibility and solidarity. The differences between social classes constitute one of the important factors that affect the decision-making mechanisms of individuals in determining the necessary steps to be undertaken in times of crisis.

BMC Public Health2020       LitCov and CORD-19
4505Electronic Distance Learning of Pre-clinical Studies During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Preliminary Study of Medical Student Responses and Potential Future Impact  

N/A

Isr Med Assoc J2020       LitCov and CORD-19
4506Coronavirus subgenomic minus-strand RNAs and the potential for mRNA replicons  

N/A

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A1989       CORD-19
4507Robotic-assisted laparoendoscopic single-site surgery in gynecology: initial report and technique  

N/A

J Minim Invasive Gynecol2009       CORD-19
4508Perception of medical education by learners and teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional survey of online teaching  

COVID-19 lockdowns have deeply impacted teaching programs. Online teaching has suddenly become the main form of medical education, a form that may be used as long as the pandemic continues. We aimed at analyzing how online teaching was perceived by both teachers and learners to help determine how to adapt curricula in the next few years. An anonymous cross-sectional survey of medical students, pediatric residents, neonatal fellows, and their respective teachers was conducted between June and August 2020 to assess feelings about quality, attendance, equivalence, and sustainability of online teaching programs. 146 Students and 26 teachers completed the survey. 89% of students agreed that the offered online teaching was an appropriate way of teaching during the pandemic. Less than half of learners and teachers felt they have received or provided a training of an equivalent level and quality as in usual courses. About one-third thought that this online teaching should continue after the crisis ends. Medical school students had significantly more mixed opinions on online teaching than residents and fellows did. Attendance of learners significantly improved with synchronous online classes (p < 0.001), and among more advanced learners (p < 0.002). Our study is the first of this kind to assess simultaneously the feelings of learners at different levels (medical students, residents, and fellows) and their respective teachers of pediatric on programs taught online. It showed that online programs were perceived as appropriate ways of teaching during the COVID pandemic. Further studies are, however, needed to assess the efficacy of such teaching methods on medical skills and communication capabilities.

Med Educ Online2021       LitCov and CORD-19
4509COVID-19 Pandemic: Looking After the Mental Health of Our Healthcare Workers  

N/A

J Occup Environ Med2020       LitCov
4510Greater frequency of viral respiratory infections in asthmatic children as compared with their nonasthmatic siblings  

A longitudinal clinical and microbiologic surveillance was conducted from October to May, 1971–1972, on 16 children with infectious asthma and 15 of their nonasthmatic siblings. Asthmaticchildren experienced a significantly greater frequency of viral respiratory infections than did nonasthmatic ones (5.1 vs. 3.8 per subject). This increased incidence appeared to be largely the result of a greater number of rhinovirus infections. While respiratory infections of identical etiology that occurred concurrently in an asthmatic and his sibling were equivalent in severity, illnesses were longer (but not significantly so) in asthmatic children.

J Pediatr1974       CORD-19
4511Preclinical evaluation of a synthetic peptide vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 inducing multiepitopic and cross-reactive humoral neutralizing and cellular CD4 and CD8 responses  

Identification of relevant epitopes is crucial for the development of subunit peptide vaccines inducing neutralizing and cellular immunity against SARS-CoV-2. Our aim was the characterization of epitopes in the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein to generate a peptide vaccine. Epitope mapping using a panel of 10 amino acid overlapped 15-mer peptides covering region 401-515 from RBD did not identify linear epitopes when tested with sera from infected individuals or from RBD-immunized mice. However, immunization of mice with these 15-mer peptides identified four peptides located at region 446-480 that induced antibodies recognizing the peptides and RBD/S1 proteins. Immunization with peptide 446-480 from S protein formulated with Freund’s adjuvant or with CpG oligodeoxinucleotide/Alum induced polyepitopic antibody responses in BALB/c and C56BL/6J mice, recognizing RBD (titres of 3 × 10(4)–3 × 10(5), depending on the adjuvant) and displaying neutralizing capacity (80–95% inhibition capacity; p < 0.05) against SARS-CoV-2. Murine CD4 and CD8T-cell epitopes were identified in region 446-480 and vaccination experiments using HLA transgenic mice suggested the presence of multiple human T-cell epitopes. Antibodies induced by peptide 446-480 showed broad recognition of S proteins and S-derived peptides belonging to SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern. Importantly, vaccination with peptide 446-480 or with a cyclic version of peptide 446-488 containing a disulphide bridge between cysteines 480 and 488, protected humanized K18-hACE2 mice from a lethal dose of SARS-CoV-2 (62.5 and 75% of protection; p < 0.01 and p < 0.001, respectively). This region could be the basis for a peptide vaccine or other vaccine platforms against Covid-19.

Emerg Microbes Infect2021       LitCov and CORD-19
4512SARS-associated viral hepatitis caused by a novel coronavirus: Report of three cases  

Liver impairment is commonly reported in up to 60% of patients who suffer from severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Here we report the clinical course and liver pathology in three SARS patients with liver impairment. Three patients who fulfilled the World Health Organization case definition of probable SARS and developed marked elevation of alanine aminotransferase were included. Percutaneous liver biopsies were performed. Liver specimens were examined by light and electron microscopy, and immunohistochemistry. Reverse‐transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) using enhanced real‐time PCR was applied to look for evidence of SARS‐associated coronavirus infection. Marked accumulation of cells in mitosis was observed in two patients and apoptosis was observed in all three patients. Other common pathologic features included ballooning of hepatocytes and mild to moderate lobular lymphocytic infiltration. No eosinophilic infiltration, granuloma, cholestasis, fibrosis, or fibrin deposition was noted. Immunohistochemical studies revealed 0.5% to 11.4% of nuclei were positive for proliferative antigen Ki‐67. RT‐PCR showed evidence of SARS‐associated coronavirus in the liver tissues, but not in the sera of all 3 patients. However, electron microscopy could not identify viral particles. No giant mitochondria, micro‐ or macro‐vesicular steatosis was observed. In conclusion, hepatic impairment in patients with SARS is due to SARS‐associated coronavirus infection of the liver. The prominence of mitotic activity of hepatocytes is unique and may be due to a hyperproliferative state with or without disruption of cell cycle by the coronavirus. With better knowledge of pathogenesis, specific therapy may be targeted to reduce viral replication and modify the disease course. (Hepatology 2004;39:302–310.)

Hepatology2004       CORD-19
4513Healthcare Workers in South Korea Maintain a SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Response Six Months After Receiving a Second Dose of the BNT162b2 mRNA Vaccine  

BACKGROUND: Effective vaccines against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are available worldwide; however, the longevity of vaccine effectiveness is not known. OBJECTIVE: We performed a prospective observational study to assess the antibody response of healthcare workers against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) after BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccination. METHODS: SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody (nAb) and spike (S) protein-IgG (S-IgG) antibody titers were examined in participants who received two doses of the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine in a single center between March 1, 2021, and October 11, 2021. Antibody levels were analyzed at four times: before vaccination (visit 1), 4 weeks after the first vaccination (visit 2), 3 months after the second vaccination (visit 3), and 6 months after the second vaccination (visit 4). RESULTS: A total of 249 healthcare workers at Jeju National University Hospital were enrolled in this study, and 982 blood samples were analyzed. The mean age was 38.1 ± 9.5 years, and 145 (58.2%) participants were females. Positive nAbs (inhibition rates ≥ 20%) were measured in 166/249 (66.7%) subjects at visit 2, 237/243 (97.5%) subjects at visit 3, and 150/237 (63.3%) subjects at visit 4. A S-IgG (≥50 AU/mL) positivity was detected in 246/249 (98.8%) subjects at visit 1, and all participants had positive S-IgG antibody levels at visits 3 and 4 after being fully vaccinated. Further analysis of S-IgG levels revealed a median quantitative antibody level of 1275.1 AU/mL (interquartile range [IQR] 755.5–2119.0) at visit 2, 2765.9 AU/mL (IQR 1809.8–4138.4) at visit 3, and 970.1 AU/mL (IQR 606.0–1495.9) at visit 4. Patient characteristics, such as age, body mass index, and comorbidity, had no relationship with nAb or S-IgG levels at any of the visits. Considering the change in antibody levels over time, both nAb and S-IgG levels at visit 4 decreased compared with the corresponding levels at visit 3. No evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection was found among any of the participants throughout the study. CONCLUSIONS: The BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine was effective in protecting healthcare personnel working in COVID-19-related departments. While the level of S-IgG antibodies was maintained for 6 months after the second vaccination, nAb levels waned over this 6-month period, indicating the need for a booster vaccination in some healthcare workers 6 months after full vaccination. Herein, we suggest that further studies are needed to evaluate the need for an interval of booster vaccination after full vaccination.

Front Immunol2022       LitCov and CORD-19
4514Early vascular surgery response to the COVID-19 pandemic: Results of a nationwide survey  

OBJECTIVES: The COVID-19 pandemic has had major implications for the United States healthcare system. This survey study sought to identify practice changes, understand current personal protection equipment (PPE) use, and determine how caring for patients with COVID-19 differs for vascular surgeons practicing in states with high COVID-19 case numbers versus low case numbers. METHODS: A fourteen-question online survey regarding the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on vascular surgeons’ current practice was sent to 365 vascular surgeons across the country via REDCap from 4/14/2020 to 4/21/2020 with responses closed on 4/23/2020. The survey response was analyzed with descriptive statistics. Further analyses were performed to evaluate whether responses from states with the highest number of COVID-19 cases (New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and California) differed from those with lower case numbers (all other states). RESULTS: A total of 121 vascular surgeon responded (30.6%) to the survey. All high-volume states were represented. The majority of vascular surgeons are reusing PPE The majority of respondents worked in an academic setting (81.5%) and were performing only urgent and emergent cases (80.5%) during preparation for the surge. This did not differ between high case and low COVID case states (p=0.285). High case states were less likely to perform a lower extremity intervention for critical limb ischemia (60.8% vs. 77.5%, p=0.046), but otherwise case types did not differ. Most attendings work with residents (90.8%) and limited their exposure to procedures on suspected/confirmed COVID-19 cases (56.0%). Thirty-eight percent of attendings have been redeployed within the hospital to a vascular access service, and/or other service outside of vascular surgery. This was more frequent in high case volume states compared to low case volume states (p=0.039). The majority of vascular surgeons are reusing PPE (71.4%) and N95 masks (86.4%), and 21% of vascular surgeons feel that they do not have adequate PPE to perform clinical their duties. CONCLUSION: The initial response to the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in reduced elective cases with primarily only urgent and emergent cases being performed. A minority of vascular surgeons have been redeployed outside of their specialty, however, this is more common among states with high case numbers. Adequate PPE remains an issue for almost a quarter of vascular surgeons who responded to this survey.

J Vasc Surg2020       LitCov and CORD-19
4515Ensuring global access to COVID-19 vaccines  

Lancet2020       LitCov and CORD-19
4516Modelling the contribution of the Big Five personality traits, health anxiety and COVID-19 psychological distress to generalised anxiety and depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic  

In the current study we sought to extend our understanding of vulnerability and protective factors (the Big Five personality traits, health anxiety, and COVID-19 psychological distress) in predicting generalised anxiety and depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants (n = 502), who were United States residents, completed a variety of sociodemographic questions and the following questionnaires: Big Five Inventory‐10 (BFI-10), Whitley Index 7 (WI-7), Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS), COVID-19 Anxiety Syndrome Scale (C19-ASS), and Patient Health Questionnaire Anxiety and Depression Scale (PHQ-ADS). Results showed that extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness were negatively correlated with generalised anxiety and depressive symptoms and that neuroticism, health anxiety and both measures of COVID-19 psychological distress were positively correlated with generalised anxiety and depressive symptoms. We used path analysis to determine the pattern of relationships specified by the theoretical model we proposed. Results showed that health anxiety, COVID-19 anxiety, and the COVID-19 anxiety syndrome partially mediated the relationship between the Big Five personality traits and generalised anxiety and depressive symptoms. Specifically, extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness were negatively associated with the three mediators, which, in turn, were positively associated with generalised anxiety and depressive symptoms, with COVID-19 anxiety showing the strongest effect. Conversely, neuroticism and openness were positively associated with COVID-19 anxiety and the COVID-19 anxiety syndrome, respectively. These relationships were independent of age, gender, employment status and risk status. The model accounted for a substantial variance of generalised anxiety and depression symptoms (R(2) = .75). The implications of these findings are discussed.

J Affect Disord2020       LitCov and CORD-19
4517Immune-Boosting, Antioxidant and Anti-inflammatory Food Supplements Targeting Pathogenesis of COVID-19  

The COVID-19 is an acute and contagious disease characterized by pneumonia and ARDS. The disease is caused by SARS-CoV-2, which belongs to the family of Coronaviridae along with MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-1. The virus has the positive-sense RNA as its genome encoding for ~26 proteins that work together for the virus survival, replication, and spread in the host. The virus gets transmitted through the contact of aerosol droplets from infected persons. The pathogenesis of COVID-19 is highly complex and involves suppression of host antiviral and innate immune response, induction of oxidative stress followed by hyper inflammation described as the “cytokine storm,” causing the acute lung injury, tissue fibrosis, and pneumonia. Currently, several vaccines and drugs are being evaluated for their efficacy, safety, and for determination of doses for COVID-19 and this requires considerable time for their validation. Therefore, exploring the repurposing of natural compounds may provide alternatives against COVID-19. Several nutraceuticals have a proven ability of immune-boosting, antiviral, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory effects. These include Zn, vitamin D, vitamin C, curcumin, cinnamaldehyde, probiotics, selenium, lactoferrin, quercetin, etc. Grouping some of these phytonutrients in the right combination in the form of a food supplement may help to boost the immune system, prevent virus spread, preclude the disease progression to severe stage, and further suppress the hyper inflammation providing both prophylactic and therapeutic support against COVID-19.

Front Immunol2020       LitCov and CORD-19
4518Transmission Dynamics of COVID-19 Outbreaks Associated with Child Care Facilities-Salt Lake City, Utah, April-July 2020  

Reports suggest that children aged ≥10 years can efficiently transmit SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) (1,2). However, limited data are available on SARS-CoV-2 transmission from young children, particularly in child care settings (3). To better understand transmission from young children, contact tracing data collected from three COVID-19 outbreaks in child care facilities in Salt Lake County, Utah, during April 1-July 10, 2020, were retrospectively reviewed to explore attack rates and transmission patterns. A total of 184 persons, including 110 (60%) children had a known epidemiologic link to one of these three facilities. Among these persons, 31 confirmed COVID-19 cases occurred; 13 (42%) in children. Among pediatric patients with facility-associated confirmed COVID-19, all had mild or no symptoms. Twelve children acquired COVID-19 in child care facilities. Transmission was documented from these children to at least 12 (26%) of 46 nonfacility contacts (confirmed or probable cases). One parent was hospitalized. Transmission was observed from two of three children with confirmed, asymptomatic COVID-19. Detailed contact tracing data show that children can play a role in transmission from child care settings to household contacts. Having SARS-CoV-2 testing available, timely results, and testing of contacts of persons with COVID-19 in child care settings regardless of symptoms can help prevent transmission. CDC guidance for child care programs recommends the use of face masks, particularly among staff members, especially when children are too young to wear masks, along with hand hygiene, frequent cleaning and disinfecting of high-touch surfaces, and staying home when ill to reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission (4).

MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep2020       LitCov and CORD-19
4519Reserving COVID-19 vaccines for global access: cross sectional analysis  

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the premarket purchase commitments for coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19) vaccines from leading manufacturers to recipient countries. DESIGN: Cross sectional analysis. DATA SOURCES: World Health Organization’s draft landscape of covid-19 candidate vaccines, along with company disclosures to the US Securities and Exchange Commission, company and foundation press releases, government press releases, and media reports. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA AND DATA ANALYSIS: Premarket purchase commitments for covid-19 vaccines, publicly announced by 15 November 2020. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Premarket purchase commitments for covid-19 vaccine candidates and price per course, vaccine platform, and stage of research and development, as well as procurement agent and recipient country. RESULTS: As of 15 November 2020, several countries have made premarket purchase commitments totaling 7.48 billion doses, or 3.76 billion courses, of covid-19 vaccines from 13 vaccine manufacturers. Just over half (51%) of these doses will go to high income countries, which represent 14% of the world’s population. The US has reserved 800 million doses but accounts for a fifth of all covid-19 cases globally (11.02 million cases), whereas Japan, Australia, and Canada have collectively reserved more than one billion doses but do not account for even 1% of current global covid-19 cases globally (0.45 million cases). If these vaccine candidates were all successfully scaled, the total projected manufacturing capacity would be 5.96 billion courses by the end of 2021. Up to 40% (or 2.34 billion) of vaccine courses from these manufacturers might potentially remain for low and middle income countries–less if high income countries exercise scale-up options and more if high income countries share what they have procured. Prices for these vaccines vary by more than 10-fold, from $6.00 (£4.50; €4.90) per course to as high as $74 per course. With broad country participation apart from the US and Russia, the COVAX Facility—the vaccines pillar of the World Health Organization’s Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator—has secured at least 500 million doses, or 250 million courses, and financing for half of the targeted two billion doses by the end of 2021 in efforts to support globally coordinated access to covid-19 vaccines. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides an overview of how high income countries have secured future supplies of covid-19 vaccines but that access for the rest of the world is uncertain. Governments and manufacturers might provide much needed assurances for equitable allocation of covid-19 vaccines through greater transparency and accountability over these arrangements.

BMJ2020       LitCov and CORD-19
4520Acute Cardiovascular Manifestations in 286 Children With Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome Associated With COVID-19 Infection in Europe  

N/A

Circulation2021       LitCov and CORD-19
4521Well-Being and Loneliness in Swiss Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Social Relationships  

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The current COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing measures are an extreme stressor that might result in negative emotional experiences and feelings of loneliness. However, it is possible that social relationships might have a protective effect. In the present study, we examine how the COVID-19 pandemic affected older adults’ well-being and loneliness, and the role of structural and functional characteristics of social relationships. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We use data from 99 older adults in Switzerland who participated (a) in a three-week micro-longitudinal study on social relationships and well-being in 2019 and (b) in a weekly online survey during four weeks of the COVID-19 lockdown. RESULTS: Our findings show that the global pandemic had substantial adverse effects on older adults’ emotional well-being and loneliness. In addition, aspects of social relationships were related to loneliness both before and during the pandemic. Only one functional feature of social relationships (satisfaction with communication during the pandemic) buffered adverse effects of the major stressful event. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: Although the social distancing measures during COVID-19 presented a major stressor for older adults’ well-being and loneliness, being able to maintain social communication to a satisfactory level during that time reduced this effect. Therefore, enabling older adults to stay in touch with their social circle based on their personal preferences might reduce the impact that any future lockdown might have on their well-being.

Gerontologist2020       LitCov and CORD-19
4522Antibody response of patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) to nucleocapsid antigen of SARS-associated coronavirus  

N/A

Di Yi Jun Yi Da Xue Xue Bao2003       CORD-19
4523Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for coronaviruses HCV 229E and MHV 3  

N/A

J Gen Virol1980       CORD-19
4524Clinical impact and diagnosis of human metapneumovirus infection  

N/A

Pediatr Infect Dis J2004       CORD-19
4525Randomness, Informational Entropy and Volatility Interdependencies among the Major World Markets: The Role of the COVID-19 Pandemic  

The main purpose of our paper is to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on randomness in volatility series of world major markets and to examine its effect on their interconnections. The data set includes equity (Bitcoin and Standard and Poor’s 500), precious metals (Gold and Silver), and energy markets (West Texas Instruments, Brent, and Gas). The generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity model is applied to the return series. The wavelet packet Shannon entropy is calculated from the estimated volatility series to assess randomness. Hierarchical clustering is employed to examine interconnections between volatilities. We found that (i) randomness in volatility of the S&P500 and in the volatility of precious metals were the most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, while (ii) randomness in energy markets was less affected by the pandemic than equity and precious metal markets. Additionally, (iii) we showed an apparent emergence of three volatility clusters: precious metals (Gold and Silver), energy (Brent and Gas), and Bitcoin and WTI, and (iv) the S&P500 volatility represents a unique cluster, while (v) the S&P500 market volatility was not connected to the volatility of Bitcoin, energy, and precious metal markets before the pandemic. Moreover, (vi) the S&P500 market volatility became connected to volatility in energy markets and volatility in Bitcoin during the pandemic, and (vii) the volatility in precious metals is less connected to volatility in energy markets and to volatility in Bitcoin market during the pandemic. It is concluded that (i) investors may diversify their portfolios across single constituents of clusters, (ii) investing in energy markets during the pandemic period is appealing because of lower randomness in their respective volatilities, and that (iii) constructing a diversified portfolio would not be challenging as clustering structures are fairly stable across periods.

Entropy (Basel)2020       LitCov and CORD-19
4526Cutaneous reactions reported after Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination: A registry-based study of 414 cases  

Background Cutaneous reactions after mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines have been reported but are not well characterized. Objective To evaluate morphology and timing of cutaneous reactions after mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. Methods A provider-facing registry-based study collected cases of cutaneous manifestations after COVID-19 vaccination. Results From December 2020-February 2021, we recorded 414 cutaneous reactions to mRNA COVID-19 vaccines from Moderna (83%) and Pfizer (17%). Delayed large local reactions were most common, followed by local injection site reactions, urticarial eruptions, and morbilliform eruptions. Forty-three percent of patients with first dose reactions experienced second dose recurrence. Limitations Registry analysis does not measure incidence. Morphologic misclassification is possible. Conclusion We report a spectrum of cutaneous reactions after COVID-19 mRNA vaccines. Most patients with first dose reactions did not develop a second dose reaction, and no patients in the registry developed serious adverse events after the first or second dose. These data provide reassurance to patients and providers.

J Am Acad Dermatol2021       LitCov and CORD-19
4527Detection of SARS Coronavirus in Patients with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome by Conventional and Real-Time Quantitative Reverse Transcription-PCR Assays  

Background: A novel coronavirus (CoV) was recently identified as the agent for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). We compared the abilities of conventional and real-time reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) assays to detect SARS CoV in clinical specimens. Methods: RNA samples isolated from nasopharyngeal aspirate (NPA; n = 170) and stool (n = 44) were reverse-transcribed and tested by our in-house conventional RT-PCR assay. We selected 98 NPA and 37 stool samples collected at different times after the onset of disease and tested them in a real-time quantitative RT-PCR specific for the open reading frame (ORF) 1b region of SARS CoV. Detection rates for the conventional and real-time quantitative RT-PCR assays were compared. To investigate the nature of viral RNA molecules in these clinical samples, we determined copy numbers of ORF 1b and nucleocapsid (N) gene sequences of SARS CoV. Results: The quantitative real-time RT-PCR assay was more sensitive than the conventional RT-PCR assay for detecting SARS CoV in samples collected early in the course of the disease. Real-time assays targeted at the ORF 1b region and the N gene revealed that copy numbers of ORF 1b and N gene sequences in clinical samples were similar. Conclusions: NPA and stool samples can be used for early diagnosis of SARS. The real-time quantitative RT-PCR assay for SARS CoV is potentially useful for early detection of SARS CoV. Our results suggest that genomic RNA is the predominant viral RNA species in clinical samples.

Clin Chem2004       CORD-19
4528COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy is associated with beliefs on the origin of the novel coronavirus in the UK and Turkey  

BACKGROUND: Much research effort is focused on developing an effective vaccine for combatting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Vaccine development itself, however, will not be enough given that a sufficient amount of people will need to be vaccinated for widespread immunity. Vaccine hesitancy is on the rise, varies across countries, and is associated with conspiratorial worldview. Given the rise in COVID-19-related conspiracy theories, we aimed to examine the levels of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and its association with beliefs on the origin of the novel coronavirus in a cross-cultural study. METHODS: We conducted an online survey in the UK (N = 1088) and Turkey (N = 3936), and gathered information on participants' willingness to vaccinate for a potential COVID-19 vaccine, beliefs on the origin of the novel coronavirus, and several behavioural and demographic predictors (such as anxiety, risk perception, government satisfaction levels) that influence vaccination and origin beliefs. RESULTS: In all, 31% of the participants in Turkey and 14% in the UK were unsure about getting themselves vaccinated for a COVID-19 vaccine. In both countries, 3% of the participants rejected to be vaccinated. Also, 54% of the participants in Turkey and 63% in the UK believed in the natural origin of the novel coronavirus. Believing in the natural origin significantly increased the odds of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. CONCLUSIONS: Our results point at a concerning level of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, especially in Turkey, and suggest that wider communication of the scientific consensus on the origin of the novel coronavirus with the public may help future campaigns targeting COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy.

Psychol Med2020       LitCov and CORD-19
4529Community gardening, community farming and other local community-based gardening interventions to prevent overweight and obesity in high-income and middle-income countries: protocol for a systematic review  

N/A

BMJ Open2017       CORD-19
4530Global infectious disease surveillance and health intelligence  

N/A

Health Aff (Millwood)2007       CORD-19
4531Clinical characteristics and outcomes of pregnant women with COVID-19 and the risk of vertical transmission: a systematic review  

PURPOSE: This systematic review summarizes the clinical features and maternal–infant outcomes of 230 pregnant women (154 patients gave birth) infected with COVID-19 and their 156 infants, including the possibility and evidence of vertical transmission. METHODS: An electronic search of PubMed, Embase, Medline, MedRxiv, CNKI, and the Chinese Medical Journal Full Text Database following PRISMA guidelines was performed through April 18, 2020. Search terms included COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, pregnant women, infants, and vertical transmission. RESULTS: A total of 230 women with COVID-19 (154 deliveries, 66 ongoing pregnancies, and 10 abortions) and 156 newborns from 20 eligible studies were included in this systematic review. A total of 34.62% of the pregnant patients had obstetric complications, and 59.05% of patients displayed fever. Lymphopenia was observed in 40.71% of patients. A total of 5.19% of women received mechanical ventilation. Seven women were critically ill. One mother and two newborns died. A total of 24.74% of newborns were premature. Five newborns’ throat swab tests of SARS-CoV-2 were positive, all of which were delivered by cesarean section. For eight newborns with negative throat swab tests, three had both elevated IgM and IgG against SARS-CoV-2. Nucleic acid tests of vaginal secretions, breast milk, amniotic fluid, placental blood, and placental tissues were negative. CONCLUSION: Most pregnant patients were mildly ill. The mortality of pregnant women with COVID-19 was lower than that of overall COVID-19 patients. Cesarean section was more common than vaginal delivery for pregnant women with COVID-19. Premature delivery was the main adverse event for newborns. The vertical transmission rate calculated by SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid tests was 3.91%. Serum antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 should be tested more frequently, and multiple samples should be included in pathogenic testing.

Arch Gynecol Obstet2020       LitCov and CORD-19
4532An Epidemiological Model Considering Isolation to Predict COVID-19 Trends in Tokyo, Japan: Numerical Analysis  

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 currently poses a global public health threat. Although Tokyo, Japan, is no exception to this, it was initially affected by only a small-level epidemic. Nevertheless, medical collapse nearly happened since no predictive methods were available to assess infection counts. A standard susceptible-infectious-removed (SIR) epidemiological model has been widely used, but its applicability is limited often to the early phase of an epidemic in the case of a large collective population. A full numerical simulation of the entire period from beginning until end would be helpful for understanding COVID-19 trends in (separate) counts of inpatient and infectious cases and can also aid the preparation of hospital beds and development of quarantine strategies. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to develop an epidemiological model that considers the isolation period to simulate a comprehensive trend of the initial epidemic in Tokyo that yields separate counts of inpatient and infectious cases. It was also intended to induce important corollaries of governing equations (ie, effective reproductive number) and equations for the final count. METHODS: Time-series data related to SARS-CoV-2 from February 28 to May 23, 2020, from Tokyo and antibody testing conducted by the Japanese government were adopted for this study. A novel epidemiological model based on a discrete delay differential equation (apparent time-lag model [ATLM]) was introduced. The model can predict trends in inpatient and infectious cases in the field. Various data such as daily new confirmed cases, cumulative infections, inpatients, and PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test positivity ratios were used to verify the model. This approach also derived an alternative formulation equivalent to the standard SIR model. RESULTS: In a typical parameter setting, the present ATLM provided 20% less infectious cases in the field compared to the standard SIR model prediction owing to isolation. The basic reproductive number was inferred as 2.30 under the condition that the time lag T from infection to detection and isolation is 14 days. Based on this, an adequate vaccine ratio to avoid an outbreak was evaluated for 57% of the population. We assessed the date (May 23) that the government declared a rescission of the state of emergency. Taking into consideration the number of infectious cases in the field, a date of 1 week later (May 30) would have been most effective. Furthermore, simulation results with a shorter time lag of T=7 and a larger transmission rate of α=1.43α0 suggest that infections at large should reduce by half and inpatient numbers should be similar to those of the first wave of COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS: A novel mathematical model was proposed and examined using SARS-CoV-2 data for Tokyo. The simulation agreed with data from the beginning of the pandemic. Shortening the period from infection to hospitalization is effective against outbreaks without rigorous public health interventions and control.

JMIR Public Health Surveill2020       LitCov and CORD-19
4533What can we learn from the online learning experiences of medical students in Poland during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic?  

BACKGROUND: In March 2020, due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the Polish government ordered the closing of all medical faculties, with an obligatory shift to online learning. This lockdown continued, with a short period of blended learning, over the time of summer 2020. Distance learning had previously been rarely used within Polish medical schools, so such a sudden transfer was a major challenge. The aim of the study was to explore undergraduates’ perception of online teaching provided at Polish medical faculties during the pandemic and to analyze how these experiences may inform future curriculum development. METHODS: The online survey was addressed to undergraduates at Polish medical faculties in November 2020. The questions captured demographics, epidemiological data and students’ perception of various aspects of online teaching. Responses were subjected to thematic analysis and their distribution compared considering demographic parameters . RESULTS: Six hundred twenty students from thirteen medical faculties responded to the survey. Major benefits from online teaching perceived by respondents included increased convenience, enhanced quality, a sense of comfort and safety. Major complaints were associated with unsatisfactory content, technical issues, difficulties engaging, poor organization and lack of social life. Students claimed that online teaching required more self-directed learning and discipline and 57.9% considered this impact as negative. 44.5% of respondents took part in educational online activities beyond their scheduled classes. For 49.2% online examinations were reported as more stressful and for 24.8% - less stressful than traditional ones. Differences in the opinions on online teaching were found between men and women, students in early and senior years, Polish and non-Polish ones. CONCLUSIONS: The sudden move online inevitably was problematic for students. Their perspective afforded us the opportunity to consider shortcomings of pre-pandemic undergraduate curriculum. Online education requires a more self-directed learning, which was challenging for many students, so further enhancement of more autonomous study skills seems necessary. Distress expressed by students indicates the need for urgent support with mental health issues. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12909-021-02884-5.

BMC Med Educ2021       LitCov and CORD-19
4534National disease burden of respiratory viruses detected in children by polymerase chain reaction  

N/A

Pediatr Infect Dis J2004       CORD-19
4535COVID-19 diagnosis from chest X-ray images using transfer learning: Enhanced performance by debiasing dataloader  

BACKGROUND: Chest X-ray imaging has been proved as a powerful diagnostic method to detect and diagnose COVID-19 cases due to its easy accessibility, lower cost and rapid imaging time. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to improve efficacy of screening COVID-19 infected patients using chest X-ray images with the help of a developed deep convolutional neural network model (CNN) entitled nCoV-NET. METHODS: To train and to evaluate the performance of the developed model, three datasets were collected from resources of “ChestX-ray14”, “COVID-19 image data collection”, and “Chest X-ray collection from Indiana University,” respectively. Overall, 299 COVID-19 pneumonia cases and 1,522 non-COVID 19 cases are involved in this study. To overcome the probable bias due to the unbalanced cases in two classes of the datasets, ResNet, DenseNet, and VGG architectures were re-trained in the fine-tuning stage of the process to distinguish COVID-19 classes using a transfer learning method. Lastly, the optimized final nCoV-NET model was applied to the testing dataset to verify the performance of the proposed model. RESULTS: Although the performance parameters of all re-trained architectures were determined close to each other, the final nCOV-NET model optimized by using DenseNet-161 architecture in the transfer learning stage exhibits the highest performance for classification of COVID-19 cases with the accuracy of 97.1 %. The Activation Mapping method was used to create activation maps that highlights the crucial areas of the radiograph to improve causality and intelligibility. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that the proposed CNN model called nCoV-NET can be utilized for reliably detecting COVID-19 cases using chest X-ray images to accelerate the triaging and save critical time for disease control as well as assisting the radiologist to validate their initial diagnosis.

J Xray Sci Technol2021       LitCov and CORD-19
4536A multicenter study of short-term changes in mental health emergency services use during lockdown in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario during the COVID-19 pandemic  

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown measures have led to increasing mental health concerns in the general population. We aimed to assess the short-term impact of the pandemic lockdown on mental health emergency services use in the Kitchener-Waterloo region of Ontario, Canada. METHODS: We conducted an observational study during the 6-month period between March 5 and September 5, 2020 using National Ambulatory Care Reporting System metadata from mental health visits to three regional Emergency Departments (ED); mental health and substance related police calls; and calls to a regional mental health crisis telephone line, comparing volumes during the pandemic lockdown with the same period in 2019. Quasi-Poisson regressions were used to determine significant differences between numbers of each visit or call type during the lockdown period versus the previous year. Significant changes in ED visits, mental health diagnoses, police responses, and calls to the crisis line from March 5 to September 5, 2020 were examined using changepoint analyses. RESULTS: Involuntary admissions, substance related visits, mood related visits, situational crisis visits, and self-harm related mental health visits to the EDs were significantly reduced during the lockdown period compared to the year before. Psychosis-related and alcohol-related visits were not significantly reduced. Among police calls, suicide attempts were significantly decreased during the period of lockdown, but intoxication, assault, and domestic disputes were not significantly different. Mental health crisis telephone calls were significantly decreased during the lockdown period. There was a significant increase in weekly mental health diagnoses starting in the week of July 12 – July 18. There was a significant increase in crisis calls starting in the week of May 31 – June 6, the same week that many guidelines, such as gathering restrictions, were eased. There was a significant increase in weekly police responses starting in the week of June 14 – June 20. CONCLUSIONS: Contrary to our hypothesis, the decrease in most types of mental health ED visits, mental health and substance-related police calls, and mental health crisis calls largely mirrored the overall decline in emergency services usage during the lockdown period. This finding is unexpected in the context of increased attention to acutely deteriorating mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-021-11807-4.

BMC Public Health2021       LitCov and CORD-19
4537Psychological distress during the initial stage of the COVID-19 pandemic in an Italian population living with HIV: an online survey  

N/A

Infez Med2021       LitCov and CORD-19
4538Preserving Organizational Resilience, Patient Safety and Staff Retention during COVID-19 Requires a Holistic Consideration of the Psychological Safety of Healthcare Workers  

During the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare workers are fighting a lethal virus with acute shortages of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). These unprecedented circumstances have amplified the sources of emotional distress and worker burnout. However, many healthcare organizations (HCOs) in the United States, have opted for a “stoic approach” to healthcare worker support, i.e., no additional support beyond federal and state policy protections for the licensing and liability of healthcare workers. In this scenario, a key public health concern is sustaining an adequate healthcare workforce, both by way of quantity (adequate numbers) and quality (maximizing clinician resilience to provide safe care to large volumes of patients under challenging conditions). Therefore, it is imperative for HCO leaders to recognize that a limited view of worker psychological safety, without due consideration for the broader emotional distress created by the pandemic, could have the effect of restricting organizational resilience and adversely impacting patient safety and staff retention during and beyond the pandemic. This paper uses the organizational resilience framework to discuss the potential impact of a stoic approach to healthcare worker support on patient safety and staff retention in a hospital intensive care unit (ICU) during COVID-19. The discussion in turn, helps to develop recommendations for HCOs to overcome these challenges.

Int J Environ Res Public Healt2020       LitCov and CORD-19
4539The challenge of communicating and controlling the coronavirus epidemic  

Biomedica2020       LitCov and CORD-19
4540Lessons From Bacille Calmette-Guérin for SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Candidates  

Developers of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 vaccines should consider some of the lessons from a “new” vaccine introduced in 1921, namely bacille Calmette-Guérin.

J Infect Dis2020       LitCov and CORD-19
4541Building a Digital Bridge to Support Patient-Centered Care Transitions From Hospital to Home for Older Adults With Complex Care Needs: Protocol for a Co-Design, Implementation and Evaluation Study  

BACKGROUND: Older adults with multimorbidity and complex care needs (CCN) are among those most likely to experience frequent care transitions between settings, particularly from hospital to home. Transition periods mark vulnerable moments in care for individuals with CCN. Poor communication and incomplete information transfer between clinicians and organizations involved in the transition from hospital to home can impede access to needed support and resources. Establishing digitally supported communication that enables person-centered care and supported self-management may offer significant advantages as we support older adults with CCN transitioning from hospital to home. OBJECTIVE: This protocol outlines the plan for the development, implementation, and evaluation of a Digital Bridge co-designed to support person-centered health care transitions for older adults with CCN. The Digital Bridge builds on the foundation of two validated technologies: Care Connector, designed to improve interprofessional communication in hospital, and the electronic Patient-Reported Outcomes (ePRO) tool, designed to support goal-oriented care planning and self-management in primary care settings. This project poses three overarching research questions that focus on adapting the technology to local contexts, evaluating the impact of the Digital Bridge in relation to the quadruple aim, and exploring the potential to scale and spread the technology. METHODS: The study includes two phases: workflow co-design (phase 1), followed by implementation and evaluation (phase 2). Phase 1 will include iterative co-design working groups with patients, caregivers, hospital providers, and primary care providers to develop a transition workflow that will leverage the use of Care Connector and ePRO to support communication through the transition process. Phase 2 will include implementation and evaluation of the Digital Bridge within two hospital systems in Ontario in acute and rehab settings (600 patients: 300 baseline and 300 implementation). The primary outcome measure for this study is the Care Transitions Measure–3 to assess transition quality. An embedded ethnography will be included to capture context and process data to inform the implementation assessment and development of a scale and spread strategy. An Integrated Knowledge Translation approach is taken to inform the study. An advisory group will be established to provide insight and feedback regarding the project design and implementation, leading the development of the project knowledge translation strategy and associated outputs. RESULTS: This project is underway and expected to be complete by Spring 2024. CONCLUSIONS: Given the real-world implementation of Digital Bridge, practice changes in the research sites and variable adherence to the implementation protocols are likely. Capturing and understanding these considerations through a mixed-methods approach will help identify the range of factors that may influence study results. Should a favorable evaluation suggest wide adoption of the proposed intervention, this project could lead to positive impact at patient, clinician, organizational, and health system levels. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04287192; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04287192 INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): PRR1-10.2196/20220

JMIR Res Protoc2020       CORD-19
4542Proteomics of SARS-CoV-2-infected host cells reveals therapy targets  

N/A

Nature2020       LitCov and CORD-19
4543Coronavirus Infections in Children Including COVID-19: An Overview of the Epidemiology, Clinical Features, Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention Options in Children  

Coronaviruses (CoVs) are a large family of enveloped, single-stranded, zoonotic RNA viruses. Four CoVs commonly circulate among humans: HCoV2-229E, -HKU1, -NL63 and -OC43. However, CoVs can rapidly mutate and recombine leading to novel CoVs that can spread from animals to humans. The novel CoVs severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) emerged in 2002 and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in 2012. The 2019 novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) is currently causing a severe outbreak of disease (termed COVID-19) in China and multiple other countries, threatening to cause a global pandemic. In humans, CoVs mostly cause respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms. Clinical manifestations range from a common cold to more severe disease such as bronchitis, pneumonia, severe acute respiratory distress syndrome, multi-organ failure and even death. SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 seem to less commonly affect children and to cause fewer symptoms and less severe disease in this age group compared with adults, and are associated with much lower case-fatality rates. Preliminary evidence suggests children are just as likely as adults to become infected with SARS-CoV-2 but are less likely to be symptomatic or develop severe symptoms. However, the importance of children in transmitting the virus remains uncertain. Children more often have gastrointestinal symptoms compared with adults. Most children with SARS-CoV present with fever, but this is not the case for the other novel CoVs. Many children affected by MERS-CoV are asymptomatic. The majority of children infected by novel CoVs have a documented household contact, often showing symptoms before them. In contrast, adults more often have a nosocomial exposure. In this review, we summarize epidemiologic, clinical and diagnostic findings, as well as treatment and prevention options for common circulating and novel CoVs infections in humans with a focus on infections in children.

Pediatr Infect Dis J2020       LitCov and CORD-19
4544The social psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical staff in China: A cross-sectional study  

BACKGROUND. The COVID-19 outbreak required the significantly increased working time and intensity for health professionals in China, which may cause stress signs. METHODS. From March 2–13 of 2020, 4,618 health professionals in China were included in an anonymous, self-rated online survey regarding their concerns on exposure to the COVID-19 outbreak. The questionnaires consisted of five parts: basic demographic information and epidemiological exposure; occupational and psychological impact; concerns during the episode; coping strategies; and the Huaxi Emotional-Distress Index (HEI). RESULTS. About 24.2% of respondents experienced high levels of anxiety or/and depressive symptoms since the COVID-19 outbreak. Respondents who worried about their physical health and those who had COVID-19 infected friends or close relatives were more likely to have high HEI levels, than those without these characteristics. Further, family relationship was found to have an independent protective effect against high HEI levels. Their main concerns were that their families would not be cared for and that they would not be able to work properly. Compared to respondents with clear emotional problems, those with somewhat hidden emotional issues adopted more positive coping measures. CONCLUSIONS. About a quarter of medical staff experienced psychological problems during the pandemic of COVID-19. The psychological impact of stressful events was related to worrying about their physical health, having close COVID-19 infected acquaintances and family relationship issues. Therefore, the psychological supprot for medical staff fighting in the COVID-19 pandemic may be needed.

Eur Psychiatry2020       LitCov and CORD-19
4545Antibody-mediated enhancement of disease in feline infectious peritonitis: Comparisons with dengue hemorrhagic fever  

Non-immune kittens passively immunized with feline serum containing high-titered antibodies reactive with feline infectious peritonitis virus (FIPV) developed a more rapid disease after FIPV challenge than did kittens pretreated with FIPV antibody-negative serum. Antibody-sensitized, FIPV challenged—kittens developed earlier clinical signs (including pyrexia, icterus, and thrombocytopenia) and died more rapidly than did non-sensitized, FIPV-challenged kittens. Mean survival time in sensitized kittens was significantly (P < 0.05) reduced compared to non-sensitized kittens (mean ± SEM, 10.0 ± 0.6 days vs. 28.8 ± 8.3 days, respectively). Lesions induced included fibrinous peritonitis, disseminated pyogranulomatous inflammation and necrotizing phlebitis and periphlebitis. FIPV antigen, immunoglobulin G, complement (C3) and fibrinogen were demonstrated in lesions by immunofluorescence microscopy. The pathogenesis of dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) in persons bears striking resemblance to that of FIP in experimental kittens. In both FIP and DHF, non-neutralizing antibody may promote acute disease by enhancement of virus infection in mononuclear phagocytes or by formation of immune complexes, activation of complement and secondary vascular disturbances.

Comp Immunol Microbiol Infect 1981       CORD-19
4546Mental Healthcare in rural and remote areas necessitate greater attention during the COVID-19 pandemic  

N/A

Rural Remote Health2020       LitCov and CORD-19
4547Efficient assembly and release of SARS coronavirus-like particles by a heterologous expression system  

Virus-like particles (VLPs) produced by recombinant expression of the major viral structural proteins could be an attractive method for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) control. In this study, using the baculovirus system, we generated recombinant viruses that expressed S, E, M and N structural proteins of SARS-CoV either individually or simultaneously. The expression level, size and authenticity of each recombinant SARS-CoV protein were determined. In addition, immunofluorescence and FACS analysis confirmed the cell surface expression of the S protein. Co-infections of insect cells with two recombinant viruses demonstrated that M and E could assemble readily to form smooth surfaced VLPs. On the other hand, simultaneous high level expression of S, E and M by a single recombinant virus allowed the very efficient assembly and release of VLPs. These data demonstrate that the VLPs are morphological mimics of virion particles. The high level expression of VLPs with correct S protein conformation by a single recombinant baculovirus offers a potential candidate vaccine for SARS.

FEBS Lett2004       CORD-19
4548SARS: pharmacotherapy  

N/A

Respirology2003       CORD-19
4549Evaluation of the efficacy and safety of intravenous remdesivir in adult patients with severe COVID-19: study protocol for a phase 3 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial  

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by a novel corinavirus (later named SARS-CoV-2 virus), was fistly reported in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China towards the end of 2019. Large-scale spread within China and internationally led the World Health Organization to declare a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 30(th) January 2020. The clinical manifestations of COVID-19 virus infection include asymptomatic infection, mild upper respiratory symptoms, severe viral pneumonia with respiratory failure, and even death. There are no antivirals of proven clinical efficacy in coronavirus infections. Remdesivir (GS-5734), a nucleoside analogue, has inhibitory effects on animal and human highly pathogenic coronaviruses, including MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV, in in vitro and in vivo experiments. It is also inhibitory against the COVID-19 virus in vitro. The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy and safety of remdesivir in adult patients with severe COVID-19. METHODS: The protocol is prepared in accordance with the SPIRIT (Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials) guidelines. This is a phase 3, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre trial. Adults (≥ 18 years) with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 virus infection, severe pneumonia signs or symptoms, and radiologically confirmed severe pneumonia are randomly assigned in a 2:1 ratio to intravenously administered remdesivir or placebo for 10 days. The primary endpoint is time to clinical improvement (censored at day 28), defined as the time (in days) from randomization of study treatment (remdesivir or placebo) until a decline of two categories on a six-category ordinal scale of clinical status (1 = discharged; 6 = death) or live discharge from hospital. One interim analysis for efficacy and futility will be conducted once half of the total number of events required has been observed. DISCUSSION: This is the first randomized, placebo-controlled trial in COVID-19. Enrolment began in sites in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China on 6(th) February 2020. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04257656. Registered on 6 February 2020.

Trials2020       LitCov and CORD-19
4550Pathogenesis of severe acute respiratory syndrome  

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a zoonotic infectious disease caused by a novel coronavirus (CoV). The tissue tropism of SARS-CoV includes not only the lung, but also the gastrointestinal tract, kidney and liver. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), the C-type lectin CD209L (also known L-SIGN), and DC-SIGN bind SARS-CoV, but ACE2 appears to be the key functional receptor for the virus. There is a prominent innate immune response to SARS-CoV infection, including acute-phase proteins, chemokines, inflammatory cytokines and C-type lectins such as mannose-binding lectin, which plays a protective role against SARS. By contrast there may be a lack of type 1 interferon response. Moreover, lymphopenia with decreased numbers of CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells is common during the acute phase. Convalescent patients have IgG-class neutralizing antibodies that recognize amino acids 441–700 of the spike protein (S protein) as the major epitope.

Curr Opin Immunol2005       CORD-19

(1) COVID-19 Open Research Dataset (CORD-19). 2020. Version 2022-06-02. Retrieved from https://ai2-semanticscholar-cord-19.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/historical_releases.html. Accessed 2022-06-05. doi:10.5281/zenodo.3715506
(2) Chen Q, Allot A, & Lu Z. (2020) Keep up with the latest coronavirus research, Nature 579:193 and Chen Q, Allot A, Lu Z. LitCovid: an open database of COVID-19 literature. Nucleic Acids Research. 2020. (version 2023-01-10)
(3) Currently tweets of June 23rd to June 29th 2022 have been considered.

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