\ 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
4601Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-a New Coronavirus from the Chinese Dragon's Lair  

The recent identification of a novel clinical entity, the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), the rapid subsequent spread and case fatality rates of 14–15% have prompted a massive international collaborative investigation facilitated by a network of laboratories established by the World Health Organization (WHO). As SARS has the potential of becoming the first pandemic of the new millennium, a global warning by the WHO was issued on 12 March 2003. The disease, which is believed to have its origin in the Chinese Guangdong province, spread from Hong Kong via international airports to its current worldwide distribution. The concerted efforts of a globally united scientific community have led to the independent isolation and identification of a novel coronavirus from SARS patients by several groups. The extraordinarily rapid isolation of a causative agent of this newly emerged infectious disease constitutes an unprecedented scientific achievement. The main scope of the article is to provide the clinician with an overview of the natural history, epidemiology and clinical characteristics of SARS. On the basis of the recently published viral genome and structural features common to the members of the coronavirus family, a model for host cell–virus interaction and possible targets for antiviral drugs are presented. The epidemiological consequences of introducing a novel pathogen in a previously unexposed population and the origin and evolution of a new and more pathogenic strain of coronavirus are discussed.

Scand J Immunol2003       CORD-19
4602A Patient-Oriented App (ThessHF) to Improve Self-Care Quality in Heart Failure: From Evidence-Based Design to Pilot Study  

BACKGROUND: Heart failure (HF) remains a major public health challenge, while HF self-care is particularly challenging. Mobile health (mHealth)–based interventions taking advantage of smartphone technology have shown particular promise in increasing the quality of self-care among these patients, and in turn improving the outcomes of their disease. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to co-develop with physicians, patients with HF, and their caregivers a patient-oriented mHealth app, perform usability assessment, and investigate its effect on the quality of life of patients with HF and rate of hospitalizations in a pilot study. METHODS: The development of an mHealth app (The Hellenic Educational Self-care and Support Heart Failure app [ThessHF app]) was evidence based, including features based on previous clinically tested mHealth interventions and selected by a panel of HF expert physicians and discussed with patients with HF. At the end of alpha development, the app was rated by mHealth experts with the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS). The beta version was tested by patients with HF, who rated its design and content by means of the Post-Study System Usability Questionnaire (PSSUQ). Subsequently, a prospective pilot study (THESS-HF [THe Effect of a Specialized Smartphone app on Heart Failure patients’ quality of self-care, quality of life and hospitalization rate]) was performed to investigate the effect of app use on patients with HF over a 3-month follow-up period. The primary endpoint was patients’ quality of life, which was measured with the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) and the 5-level EQ-5D version (EQ-5D-5L). The secondary endpoints were the European Heart Failure Self-care Behavior Scale (EHFScBS) score and the hospitalization rate. RESULTS: A systematic review of mHealth-based HF interventions and expert panel suggestions yielded 18 separate app features, most of which were incorporated into the ThessHF app. A total of 14 patients and 5 mHealth experts evaluated the app. The results demonstrated a very good user experience (overall PSSUQ score 2.37 [SD 0.63], where 1 is the best, and a median MARS score of 4.55/5). Finally, 30 patients (male: n=26, 87%) participated in the THESS-HF pilot study (mean age 68.7 [SD 12.4] years). A significant increase in the quality of self-care was noted according to the EHFScBS, which increased by 4.4% (SD 7.2%) (P=.002). The mean quality of life increased nonsignificantly after 3 months according to both KCCQ (mean increase 5.8 [SD 15] points, P=.054) and EQ-5D-5L (mean increase 5.6% [SD 15.6%], P=.06) scores. The hospitalization rate for the follow-up duration was 3%. CONCLUSIONS: The need for telehealth services and remote self-care management in HF is of vital importance, especially in periods such as the COVID-19 pandemic. We developed a user-friendly mHealth app to promote remote self-care support in HF. In this pilot study, the use of the ThessHF app was associated with an increase in the quality of self-care. A future multicenter study will investigate the effect of the app use on long-term outcomes in patients with HF.

JMIR Mhealth Uhealth2021       LitCov and CORD-19
4603Effect of ultraviolet germicidal irradiation on viral aerosols  

N/A

Environ Sci Technol2007       CORD-19
4604Expression cloning of functional receptor used by SARS coronavirus  

We have expressed a series of truncated spike (S) glycoproteins of SARS-CoV and found that the N-terminus 14–502 residuals were sufficient to bind to SARS-CoV susceptible Vero E6 cells. With this soluble S protein fragment as an affinity ligand, we screened HeLa cells transduced with retroviral cDNA library from Vero E6 cells and obtained a HeLa cell clone which could bind with the S protein. This cell clone was susceptible to HIV/SARS pseudovirus infection and the presence of a functional receptor for S protein in this cell clone was confirmed by the cell–cell fusion assay. Further studies showed the susceptibility of this cell was due to the expression of endogenous angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) which was activated by inserted LTR from retroviral vector used for expression cloning. When human ACE2 cDNA was transduced into NIH3T3 cells, the ACE2 expressing NIH3T3 cells could be infected with HIV/SARS pseudovirus. These data clearly demonstrated that ACE2 was the functional receptor for SARS-CoV.

Biochem Biophys Res Commun2004       CORD-19
4605A vaccine is not too far for COVID-19  

N/A

J Infect Dev Ctries2020       LitCov and CORD-19
4606Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of 1663 hospitalized patients infected with COVID-19 in Wuhan, China: a single-center experience  

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 outbreak in late December 2019 has quickly emerged into pandemic in 2020. We aimed to describe the epidemiology and clinical characteristics of hospitalized COVID-19 patients, and to investigate the potential risk factors for COVID-19 severity. METHOD: 1,663 hospitalized patients with laboratory-confirmed diagnosed COVID-19 from Tongji Hospital between January 14, 2020, and February 28, 2020 were included in the present study. Demographic information, exposure history, medical history, comorbidities, signs and symptoms, chest computed tomography (CT) scanning, severity of COVID-19 and laboratory findings on admission were collected from electronic medical records. Multivariable logistic regression was used to explore the association between potential risk factors with COVID-19 severity. RESULTS: In the present study, the majority (79%) of 1,663 COVID-19 patients were aged over 50 years old. A total of 2.8% were medical staff, and an exposure history of Huanan seafood market was document in 0.7%, and 7.4% were family infection. Fever (85.8%), cough (36.0%), fatigue (23.6%) and chest tightness (11.9%) were the most common symptoms in COVID-19 patients. As of February 28, 2020, of the 1,663 patients included in this study, 26.0% were discharged, 10.2% were died, and 63.8% remained hospitalized. More than 1/3 of the patients had at least one comorbidity. Most (99.8%) patients had abnormal results Chest CT, and the most common manifestations of chest CT were local patchy shadowing (70.7%) and ground-glass opacity (44.8%). On admission, lymphocytopenia was present in 51.1% of the patients, mononucleosis in 26.6%, and erythrocytopenia in 61.3%. Most of the patients had increased levels of C-reactive protein (80.4%) and D-dimer (64.4%). Compared with non-severe patients, severe patients had more obvious abnormal laboratory results related to inflammation, coagulation disorders, liver and kidney damage (all P <0.05). Older age (OR = 2.37, 95% CI: 1.47-3.83), leukocytosis (OR = 2.37, 95% CI: 1.47-3.83), and increased creatine kinase (OR = 2.37, 95% CI: 1.47-3.83) on admission were significantly associated with COVID-19 severity. CONCLUSION: Timely medical treatment and clear diagnosis after the onset might be beneficial to control the condition of COVID-19. Severe patients were more likely to be to be elder, and tended to have higher proportion of comorbidities and more prominent laboratory abnormalities. Older age, leukocytosis, and increased creatine kinase might help clinicians to identify severe patients with COVID-19.

J Infect Public Health2020       LitCov and CORD-19
4607Emergency management of 2019 novel coronavirus: implications for the dermatology department  

Since cases first emerged in December 2019, COVID‐19 (a type of coronavirus) has rapidly become pandemic. This fast‐tracked paper (published quickly) from China on COVID‐19 is written by dermatologists at the epicentre of the outbreak in Wuhan. Dermatology clinic staff may be at risk because protective equipment is not routinely available, and skin lesions might possibly transmit the virus indirectly. These authors suggest preventive measures based on experience in this and previous coronavirus outbreaks. Online consultation for non‐urgent patients reduces the numbers of patients attending clinics. Nurse‐led triage, to identify patients with possible COVID‐19, at the entrances of hospital and skin clinics directs patients with a cough or fever to a specific COVID‐19 area and a dermatologist is consulted if the fever might be related to skin disease. Clinic staff wear N95 masks and observe hand hygiene during consultations. Patients are admitted to a ward only if routine blood tests and chest CT scans exclude COVID‐19. Triage will not detect patients who are showing no symptoms but who are developing the disease, so the hospital should provide an on‐call expert team to discuss inpatients suspected or diagnosed with COVID‐19 and refer them to radiology, respiratory or intensive care colleagues as required. Confirmed cases are managed following local policies. Skin disorders in COVID‐19 inpatients can usually be managed remotely using photographs, email and teleconferencing. If necessary a multidisciplinary team (a team of medical staff from different specialties) can meet in the clean area of the isolation ward. If the dermatologist must see the patient, all records should be provided in advance to minimise exposure time. With these precautions, as of 20th February 2020 no infected patients were detected in the Wuhan Dermatology Department. This is a summary of the study: Emergency management for preventing and controlling nosocomial infection of 2019 novel coronavirus: implications for the dermatology department

Br J Dermatol2020       LitCov and CORD-19
4608Air pollution and COVID-19 mortality in the United States: Strengths and limitations of an ecological regression analysis  

Assessing whether long-term exposure to air pollution increases the severity of COVID-19 health outcomes, including death, is an important public health objective. Limitations in COVID-19 data availability and quality remain obstacles to conducting conclusive studies on this topic. At present, publicly available COVID-19 outcome data for representative populations are available only as area-level counts. Therefore, studies of long-term exposure to air pollution and COVID-19 outcomes using these data must use an ecological regression analysis, which precludes controlling for individual-level COVID-19 risk factors. We describe these challenges in the context of one of the first preliminary investigations of this question in the United States, where we found that higher historical PM(2.5) exposures are positively associated with higher county-level COVID-19 mortality rates after accounting for many area-level confounders. Motivated by this study, we lay the groundwork for future research on this important topic, describe the challenges, and outline promising directions and opportunities.

Sci Adv2020       LitCov and CORD-19
4609Youth Mask-Wearing and Social-Distancing Behavior at In-Person High School Graduations During the COVID-19 Pandemic  

N/A

J Adolesc Health2021       LitCov and CORD-19
4610The Impact of COVID-19 on Health Behavior, Stress, Financial and Food Security among Middle to High Income Canadian Families with Young Children  

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted many aspects of daily life. The purpose of this study was to identify how health behaviors, level of stress, financial and food security have been impacted by the pandemic among Canadian families with young children. Parents (mothers, n = 235 and fathers, n = 126) from 254 families participating in an ongoing study completed an online survey that included close and open-ended questions. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the quantitative data and qualitative responses were analyzed using thematic analysis. More than half of our sample reported that their eating and meal routines have changed since COVID-19; most commonly reported changes were eating more snack foods and spending more time cooking. Screen time increased among 74% of mothers, 61% of fathers, and 87% of children and physical activity decreased among 59% of mothers, 52% of fathers, and 52% of children. Key factors influencing family stress include balancing work with childcare/homeschooling and financial instability. While some unhealthful behaviors appeared to have been exacerbated, other more healthful behaviors also emerged since COVID-19. Research is needed to determine the longer-term impact of the pandemic on behaviors and to identify effective strategies to support families in the post-COVID-19 context.

Nutrients2020       LitCov and CORD-19
4611Detection of SARS-CoV-2 by Use of the Cepheid Xpert Xpress SARS-CoV-2 and Roche cobas SARS-CoV-2 Assays  

SARS-CoV-2, a novel coronavirus responsible for a December 2019 outbreak in Wuhan, China, causes a syndrome characterized by fever, cough, and dyspnea progressing to acute respiratory distress syndrome (1).….

J Clin Microbiol2020       LitCov and CORD-19
4612Increased sensitivity of SARS-coronavirus to a combination of human type I and type II interferons  

N/A

Antivir Ther2004       CORD-19
4613Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support in COVID-19: an international cohort study of the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization registry  

BACKGROUND: Multiple major health organisations recommend the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support for COVID-19-related acute hypoxaemic respiratory failure. However, initial reports of ECMO use in patients with COVID-19 described very high mortality and there have been no large, international cohort studies of ECMO for COVID-19 reported to date. METHODS: We used data from the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) Registry to characterise the epidemiology, hospital course, and outcomes of patients aged 16 years or older with confirmed COVID-19 who had ECMO support initiated between Jan 16 and May 1, 2020, at 213 hospitals in 36 countries. The primary outcome was in-hospital death in a time-to-event analysis assessed at 90 days after ECMO initiation. We applied a multivariable Cox model to examine whether patient and hospital factors were associated with in-hospital mortality. FINDINGS: Data for 1035 patients with COVID-19 who received ECMO support were included in this study. Of these, 67 (6%) remained hospitalised, 311 (30%) were discharged home or to an acute rehabilitation centre, 101 (10%) were discharged to a long-term acute care centre or unspecified location, 176 (17%) were discharged to another hospital, and 380 (37%) died. The estimated cumulative incidence of in-hospital mortality 90 days after the initiation of ECMO was 37·4% (95% CI 34·4–40·4). Mortality was 39% (380 of 968) in patients with a final disposition of death or hospital discharge. The use of ECMO for circulatory support was independently associated with higher in-hospital mortality (hazard ratio 1·89, 95% CI 1·20–2·97). In the subset of patients with COVID-19 receiving respiratory (venovenous) ECMO and characterised as having acute respiratory distress syndrome, the estimated cumulative incidence of in-hospital mortality 90 days after the initiation of ECMO was 38·0% (95% CI 34·6–41·5). INTERPRETATION: In patients with COVID-19 who received ECMO, both estimated mortality 90 days after ECMO and mortality in those with a final disposition of death or discharge were less than 40%. These data from 213 hospitals worldwide provide a generalisable estimate of ECMO mortality in the setting of COVID-19. FUNDING: None.

Lancet2020       LitCov and CORD-19
4614Screening of an FDA-approved compound library identifies four small-molecule inhibitors of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus replication in cell culture  

N/A

Antimicrob Agents Chemother2014       CORD-19
4615Knowledge, perceptions and preventive practices towards COVID-19 early in the outbreak among Jimma university medical center visitors, Southwest Ethiopia  

BACKGROUND: Novel-coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) is currently a pandemic and public health emergency of international concern, as avowed by the World Health Organization (WHO). Ethiopia has become one of the affected countries as of March 15, 2020. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the knowledge, perceptions, and practices among the Jimma University medical center (JUMC) visitors in Jimma town. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 247 sampled visitors, from 20–24 March 2020. Consecutive sampling was used to recruit the participants. The study tools were adapted from WHO resources. The data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the status of knowledge, perception, and practices. Logistic regression was executed to assess the predictors of dominant preventive practices. RESULTS: Of the 247 respondents, 205 (83.0%) knew the main clinical symptoms of COVID-19. 72.0% knew that older people who have chronic illnesses are at high risk of developing a severe form of COVID-19. About 95.1% knew that the COVID-19 virus spreads via respiratory droplets of infected people, while 77 (31.2%) of the respondents knew about the possibility of asymptomatic transmission. Only 15 (6.1%) knew that children and young adults had to involve preventive measures. Overall, 41.3% of the visitors had high knowledge. The majority, 170(68.8%), felt self-efficacious to controlling COVID-19. 207(83.3%) believed that COVID-19 is a stigmatized disease. Frequent hand washing (77.3%) and avoidance of shaking hands (53.8%) were the dominant practices. Knowledge status and self-efficacy (positively), older age, and unemployment (negatively) predicted hand washing and avoidance of handshaking. CONCLUSIONS: The status of knowledge and desirable practices were not sufficient enough to combat this rapidly spreading virus. COVID-19 risk communication and public education efforts should focus on building an appropriate level of knowledge while enhancing the adoption of recommended self-care practices with special emphasis on high-risk audience segments.

PLoS One2020       LitCov and CORD-19
4616SARS-CoV-2: What Do We Know About Children? A Systematic Review  

BACKGROUND: Few paediatric cases of COVID-19 have been reported and we know little about the epidemiology in children, though more is known about other coronaviruses. We aimed to understand the infection rate, clinical presentation, clinical outcomes and transmission dynamics for SARS-CoV-2, in order to inform clinical and public health measures. METHODS: We undertook a rapid systematic review and narrative synthesis of all literature relating to SARS-CoV-2 in paediatric populations. The search terms also included SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV. We searched three databases and the COVID-19 resource centres of eleven major journals and publishers. English abstracts of Chinese language papers were included. Data were extracted and narrative syntheses conducted. RESULTS: 24 studies relating to COVID-19 were included in the review. Children appear to be less affected by COVID-19 than adults by observed rate of cases in large epidemiological studies. Limited data on attack rate indicate that children are just as susceptible to infection. Data on clinical outcomes are scarce but include several reports of asymptomatic infection and a milder course of disease in young children, though radiological abnormalities are noted. Severe cases are not reported in detail and there are little data relating to transmission. CONCLUSIONS: Children appear to have a low observed case rate of COVID-19 but may have similar rates to adults of infection with SARS-CoV-2. This discrepancy may be because children are asymptomatic or too mildly infected to draw medical attention, be tested and counted in observed cases of COVID-19.

Clin Infect Dis2020       LitCov and CORD-19
4617Covid-19 and the digestive system  

N/A

J Gastroenterol Hepatol2020       LitCov and CORD-19
4618Detection of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus in the Brain: Potential Role of the Chemokine Mig in Pathogenesis  

Background. Previous studies have shown that common human coronavirus might be neurotropic, although it was first isolated as a pathogen of the respiratory tract. We noticed that a few patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) experienced central nervous symptoms during the course of illness. In the present study, we isolated a SARS coronavirus strain from a brain tissue specimen obtained from a patient with SARS with significant central nervous symptoms. Methods. Using transmission electronic microscopy and nested reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction, the causative pathogen was identified in cultures of a brain tissue specimen obtained from the patient with SARS. Histopathologic examination of the brain tissue was performed using the methods of immunohistochemistry analysis and double immunofluorescence staining. Fifteen cytokines and chemokines were detected in the blood of the patient with SARS by means of a bead-based multiassay system. Results. A fragment specific for SARS human coronavirus was amplified from cultures of the brain suspension, and transmission electronic microscopy revealed the presence of an enveloped virus morphologically compatible with a coronavirus isolated in the cultures. Pathologic examination of the brain tissue revealed necrosis of neuron cells and broad hyperplasia of gliocytes. Immunostaining demonstrated that monokine induced by interferon-Γ (Mig) was expressed in gliocytes with the infiltration of CD68(+) monocytes/macrophages and CD3(+) T lymphocytes in the brain mesenchyme. Cytokine/chemokine assay revealed that levels of interferon-Γ–inducible protein 10 and Mig in the blood were highly elevated, although the levels of other cytokines and chemokines were close to normal. Conclusions. This study provides direct evidence that SARS human coronavirus is capable of infecting the central nervous system, and that Mig might be involved in the brain immunopathology of SARS.

Clin Infect Dis2005       CORD-19
4619Clinical characteristics of patients with 2019 coronavirus disease in a non-Wuhan area of Hubei Province, China: a retrospective study  

BACKGROUND: Since December 2019, the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has expanded to cause a worldwide outbreak that more than 600,000 people infected and tens of thousands died. To date, the clinical characteristics of COVID-19 patients in the non-Wuhan areas of Hubei Province in China have not been described. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical characteristics and treatment progress of 91 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 in Jingzhou Central Hospital. RESULTS: Of the 91 patients diagnosed with COVID-19, 30 cases (33.0%) were severe and two patients (2.2%) died. The severe disease group tended to be older (50.5 vs. 42.0 years; p = 0.049) and have more chronic disease (40% vs. 14.8%; p = 0.009) relative to mild disease group. Only 73.6% of the patients were quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR)-positive on their first tests, while typical chest computed tomography images were obtained for each patient. The most common complaints were cough (n = 75; 82.4%), fever (n = 59; 64.8%), fatigue (n = 35; 38.5%), and diarrhea (n = 14; 15.4%). Non-respiratory injury was identified by elevated levels of aspartate aminotransferase (n = 18; 19.8%), creatinine (n = 5; 5.5%), and creatine kinase (n = 14; 15.4%) in laboratory tests. Twenty-eight cases (30.8%) suffered non-respiratory injury, including 50% of the critically ill patients and 21.3% of the mild patients. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the mortality rate of patients in Jingzhou was lower than that of Wuhan. Importantly, we found liver, kidney, digestive tract, and heart injuries in COVID-19 cases besides respiratory problems. Combining chest computed tomography images with the qPCR analysis of throat swab samples can improve the accuracy of COVID-19 diagnosis.

BMC Infect Dis2020       LitCov and CORD-19
4620Phosphoproteins of murine hepatitis viruses  

N/A

J Virol1979       CORD-19
4621Defining trained immunity and its role in health and disease  

Immune memory is a defining feature of the acquired immune system, but activation of the innate immune system can also result in enhanced responsiveness to subsequent triggers. This process has been termed ‘trained immunity’, a de facto innate immune memory. Research in the past decade has pointed to the broad benefits of trained immunity for host defence but has also suggested potentially detrimental outcomes in immune-mediated and chronic inflammatory diseases. Here we define ‘trained immunity’ as a biological process and discuss the innate stimuli and the epigenetic and metabolic reprogramming events that shape the induction of trained immunity.

Nat Rev Immunol2020       CORD-19
4622Dermatology staff participate in fight against Covid-19 in China  

N/A

J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol2020       LitCov and CORD-19
4623Implications of Telemedicine in Oncology during the COVID-19 Pandemic  

COVID-19 has had a catastrophic effect on healthcare systems compromising the treatment of cancer patients. It has an increased disease burden in the cancer population. As a result, tele-oncology services have become essential to reduce the risk of cancer patients being exposed to the deadly pathogen. Many governmental establishments have endorsed the use of tele-oncology during COVID-19 era. However, telemedicine in oncology still has certain drawbacks that can be improved upon. Nevertheless, tele-oncology has shown great promise to support cancer care not only during this pandemic but also become a part of normal care in the future. (www.actabiomedica.it)

Acta Biomed2020       LitCov and CORD-19
4624Communication, collaboration and cooperation can stop the 2019 coronavirus  

As the outbreak of a deadly new coronavirus in China and its rapid spread is rattling countries, only the collective international experience and advances derived from past outbreaks can accelerate its control.

Nat Med2020       LitCov and CORD-19
4625Early experience in laparoscopic radical prostatectomy using the laparoscopic device for umbilical access SILS Port  

N/A

Actas Urol Esp2010       CORD-19
4626Acute pulmonary embolism and COVID-19 pneumonia: a random association?  

Eur Heart J2020       LitCov and CORD-19
4627Can atmospheric pollution be considered a co-factor in extremely high level of SARS-CoV-2 lethality in Northern Italy?  

This paper investigates the correlation between the high level of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoronaVirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) lethality and the atmospheric pollution in Northern Italy. Indeed, Lombardy and Emilia Romagna are Italian regions with both the highest level of virus lethality in the world and one of Europe’s most polluted area. Based on this correlation, this paper analyzes the possible link between pollution and the development of acute respiratory distress syndrome and eventually death. We provide evidence that people living in an area with high levels of pollutant are more prone to develop chronic respiratory conditions and suitable to any infective agent. Moreover, a prolonged exposure to air pollution leads to a chronic inflammatory stimulus, even in young and healthy subjects. We conclude that the high level of pollution in Northern Italy should be considered an additional co-factor of the high level of lethality recorded in that area.

Environ Pollut2020       LitCov and CORD-19
4628SARS-CoV-2 infection in children, clinical characteristics, diagnostic findings and therapeutic interventions at a tertiary care center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia  

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 was first identified in Wuhan, China. All ages are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Few studies had reported milder course in children however, severe course of illness has been reported. We aimed to describe the clinical features of COVID-19 in pediatric patients including diagnostic findings and therapeutic interventions in sever disease manifestation. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 742 patients with SARS-CoV-2 proven infection at King Abdullah Specialist Children’s Hospital, from April 2020 and July 2020. Inpatients, outpatient, including those with sever manifestation treated at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) were included. We collected data including demographic data, comorbidities, symptoms, imaging data, laboratory findings, treatments and clinical outcomes of patients with COVID-19. RESULTS: Among of 742 patients, 71 (9.6%) were hospitalized. The median age of patients was 75 months old and 53.6 were male. A total of 461 (62.1%) had close contact with confirmed cases, 45 (6.1%) had no contact history, and 236 (31.8%) with unknown exposure risk. The most common symptoms at the onset of illness were fever (32.5%), respiratory symptoms (21%) and gastrointestinal symptoms (10.3%). Among the entire cohort, 7 patients were admitted to PICU with COVID-19 related symptoms, five patients diagnosed with MIS-C, one patient with Kawasaki, and one patient with pneumonia. All patients received supportive therapy, no antiviral treatment had been used however, in MIS-C patients IVIG had been given to all patients, five patients received Anakinra; and one patient received tocilizumab. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, children infected with SARS-CoV-2 are less likely to develop symptomatic or serious diseases. Among symptomatic children, the most common clinical features were fever and respiratory symptoms followed by gastrointestinal manifestations. The majority of infected children have reported contact with an infected individual. MIS-C associated with COVID-19 is a severe presentation of SARS-CoV-2 infection and of a major concern as an overlapping features with other diseases could happen, making the diagnosis challenging.

J Infect Public Health2021       LitCov and CORD-19
4629Phase II study of adjuvant chemotherapy of S-1 plus oxaliplatin for patients with stage III gastric cancer after D2 gastrectomy  

N/A

Gastric Cancer2017       CORD-19
4630COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs, health behaviors and policy support  

Conspiracy theories have been proliferating during the COVID-19 pandemic. Evidence suggests that belief in conspiracy theories undermines engagement in pro-health behaviors and support for public health policies. Moreover, previous work suggests that inoculating messages from opinion leaders that expose conspiracy theories as false before people are exposed to them can help to prevent belief in new conspiracies. Goals of this study were to: (a) explore associations between COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs with SARS-CoV-2 vaccine intentions, cooperation with public health recommendations, and support for public health policies among U.S. adults and (b) investigate trusted sources of COVID-19 information to inform strategies to address conspiracy beliefs. A cross-sectional, online survey was conducted with 845 U.S. adults in April 2020. Data were analyzed using analyses of variance and multivariable regressions. One-third (33%) of participants believed one or more conspiracies about COVID-19. Participants who believed conspiracies reported that their intentions to vaccinate were 3.9 times lower and indicated less support for COVID-19 public health policies than participants who disbelieved conspiracies. There were no differences in cooperation with public health recommendations by conspiracy belief endorsement in the multivariable regression analysis. Although there were some key differences in trusted sources of COVID-19 information, doctor(s) were the most trusted source of information about COVID-19 overall with 90% of participants trusting doctor(s). Doctor(s) may play a role in addressing COVID-19 conspiracy theories before people are exposed to them to promote COVID-19 prevention efforts.

Transl Behav Med2020       LitCov and CORD-19
4631Risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 among patients in the Oxford Royal College of General Practitioners Research and Surveillance Centre primary care network: a cross-sectional study  

BACKGROUND: There are few primary care studies of the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to identify demographic and clinical risk factors for testing positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) within the Oxford Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) Research and Surveillance Centre primary care network. METHODS: We analysed routinely collected, pseudonymised data for patients in the RCGP Research and Surveillance Centre primary care sentinel network who were tested for SARS-CoV-2 between Jan 28 and April 4, 2020. We used multivariable logistic regression models with multiple imputation to identify risk factors for positive SARS-CoV-2 tests within this surveillance network. FINDINGS: We identified 3802 SARS-CoV-2 test results, of which 587 were positive. In multivariable analysis, male sex was independently associated with testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 (296 [18·4%] of 1612 men vs 291 [13·3%] of 2190 women; adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1·55, 95% CI 1·27–1·89). Adults were at increased risk of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 compared with children, and people aged 40–64 years were at greatest risk in the multivariable model (243 [18·5%] of 1316 adults aged 40–64 years vs 23 [4·6%] of 499 children; adjusted OR 5·36, 95% CI 3·28–8·76). Compared with white people, the adjusted odds of a positive test were greater in black people (388 [15·5%] of 2497 white people vs 36 [62·1%] of 58 black people; adjusted OR 4·75, 95% CI 2·65–8·51). People living in urban areas versus rural areas (476 [26·2%] of 1816 in urban areas vs 111 [5·6%] of 1986 in rural areas; adjusted OR 4·59, 95% CI 3·57–5·90) and in more deprived areas (197 [29·5%] of 668 in most deprived vs 143 [7·7%] of 1855 in least deprived; adjusted OR 2·03, 95% CI 1·51–2·71) were more likely to test positive. People with chronic kidney disease were more likely to test positive in the adjusted analysis (68 [32·9%] of 207 with chronic kidney disease vs 519 [14·4%] of 3595 without; adjusted OR 1·91, 95% CI 1·31–2·78), but there was no significant association with other chronic conditions in that analysis. We found increased odds of a positive test among people who are obese (142 [20·9%] of 680 people with obesity vs 171 [13·2%] of 1296 normal-weight people; adjusted OR 1·41, 95% CI 1·04–1·91). Notably, active smoking was linked with decreased odds of a positive test result (47 [11·4%] of 413 active smokers vs 201 [17·9%] of 1125 non-smokers; adjusted OR 0·49, 95% CI 0·34–0·71). INTERPRETATION: A positive SARS-CoV-2 test result in this primary care cohort was associated with similar risk factors as observed for severe outcomes of COVID-19 in hospital settings, except for smoking. We provide evidence of potential sociodemographic factors associated with a positive test, including deprivation, population density, ethnicity, and chronic kidney disease. FUNDING: Wellcome Trust.

Lancet Infect Dis2020       LitCov and CORD-19
4632KEGG: integrating viruses and cellular organisms  

KEGG (https://www.kegg.jp/) is a manually curated resource integrating eighteen databases categorized into systems, genomic, chemical and health information. It also provides KEGG mapping tools, which enable understanding of cellular and organism-level functions from genome sequences and other molecular datasets. KEGG mapping is a predictive method of reconstructing molecular network systems from molecular building blocks based on the concept of functional orthologs. Since the introduction of the KEGG NETWORK database, various diseases have been associated with network variants, which are perturbed molecular networks caused by human gene variants, viruses, other pathogens and environmental factors. The network variation maps are created as aligned sets of related networks showing, for example, how different viruses inhibit or activate specific cellular signaling pathways. The KEGG pathway maps are now integrated with network variation maps in the NETWORK database, as well as with conserved functional units of KEGG modules and reaction modules in the MODULE database. The KO database for functional orthologs continues to be improved and virus KOs are being expanded for better understanding of virus-cell interactions and for enabling prediction of viral perturbations.

Nucleic Acids Res2020       CORD-19
4633Incubation periods of acute respiratory viral infections: a systematic review  

Knowledge of the incubation period is essential in the investigation and control of infectious disease, but statements of incubation period are often poorly referenced, inconsistent, or based on limited data. In a systematic review of the literature on nine respiratory viral infections of public-health importance, we identified 436 articles with statements of incubation period and 38 with data for pooled analysis. We fitted a log-normal distribution to pooled data and found the median incubation period to be 5·6 days (95% CI 4·8–6·3) for adenovirus, 3·2 days (95% CI 2·8–3·7) for human coronavirus, 4·0 days (95% CI 3·6–4·4) for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus, 1·4 days (95% CI 1·3–1·5) for influenza A, 0·6 days (95% CI 0·5–0·6) for influenza B, 12·5 days (95% CI 11·8–13·3) for measles, 2·6 days (95% CI 2·1–3·1) for parainfluenza, 4·4 days (95% CI 3·9–4·9) for respiratory syncytial virus, and 1·9 days (95% CI 1·4–2·4) for rhinovirus. When using the incubation period, it is important to consider its full distribution: the right tail for quarantine policy, the central regions for likely times and sources of infection, and the full distribution for models used in pandemic planning. Our estimates combine published data to give the detail necessary for these and other applications.

Lancet Infect Dis2009       CORD-19
4634SARS-CoV-2 Seroprevalence Among Healthcare Workers: Retrospective Analysis of the Data From A University Hospital in Turkey  

N/A

Mikrobiyol Bul2021       LitCov and CORD-19
4635Factors Associated with the Perception of Risk and Knowledge of Contracting the SARS-Cov-2 among Adults in Bangladesh: Analysis of Online Surveys  

This study investigated the perception and awareness of risk among adult participants in Bangladesh about Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). During the lockdown era in Bangladesh at two different time points, from 26−31 March 2020 (early lockdown) and 11−16 May 2020 (late lockdown), two self-administered online surveys were conducted on 1005 respondents (322 and 683 participants, respectively) via social media. To examine risk perception and knowledge-related factors towards COVID-19, univariate and multiple linear regression models were employed. Scores of mean knowledge (8.4 vs. 8.1, p = 0.022) and perception of risk (11.2 vs. 10.6, p < 0.001) differed significantly between early and late lockdown. There was a significant decrease in perceived risk scores for contracting SARS-Cov-2 [β = −0.85, 95%CI: −1.31, −0.39], while knowledge about SARS-Cov-2 decreased insignificantly [β = −0.22, 95%CI: −0.46, 0.03] in late lockdown compared with early lockdown period. Self-quarantine was a common factor linked to increased perceived risks and knowledge of SARS-Cov-2 during the lockdown period. Any effort to increase public awareness and comprehension of SARS-Cov-2 in Bangladesh will then offer preference to males, who did not practice self-quarantine and are less worried about the propagation of this kind of virus.

Int J Environ Res Public Healt2020       LitCov and CORD-19
4636C-type lectins L-SIGN and DC-SIGN capture and transmit infectious hepatitis C virus pseudotype particles  

N/A

J Biol Chem2004       CORD-19
4637COVID-19: Melatonin as a potential adjuvant treatment  

This article summarizes the likely benefits of melatonin in the attenuation of COVID-19 based on its putative pathogenesis. The recent outbreak of COVID-19 has become a pandemic with tens of thousands of infected patients. Based on clinical features, pathology, the pathogenesis of acute respiratory disorder induced by either highly homogenous coronaviruses or other pathogens, the evidence suggests that excessive inflammation, oxidation, and an exaggerated immune response very likely contribute to COVID-19 pathology. This leads to a cytokine storm and subsequent progression to acute lung injury (ALI)/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and often death. Melatonin, a well-known anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative molecule, is protective against ALI/ARDS caused by viral and other pathogens. Melatonin is effective in critical care patients by reducing vessel permeability, anxiety, sedation use, and improving sleeping quality, which might also be beneficial for better clinical outcomes for COVID-19 patients. Notably, melatonin has a high safety profile. There is significant data showing that melatonin limits virus-related diseases and would also likely be beneficial in COVID-19 patients. Additional experiments and clinical studies are required to confirm this speculation.

Life Sci2020       LitCov and CORD-19
4638Remdesivir for the Treatment of Covid-19-Preliminary Report. Reply  

N/A

N Engl J Med2020       LitCov and CORD-19
4639Social Capital and Sleep Quality in Individuals Who Self-Isolated for 14 Days During the COVID-19 Outbreak in January 2020 in China  

BACKGROUND: From the end of December 2019, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) began to spread in central China. Social capital is a measure of social trust, belonging, and participation. This study aimed to investigate the effects of social capital on sleep quality and the mechanisms involved in people who self-isolated at home for 14 days in January 2020 during the COVID-19 epidemic in central China. METHODS: Individuals (n=170) who self-isolated at home for 14 days in central China, completed self-reported questionnaires on the third day of isolation. Individual social capital was assessed using the Personal Social Capital Scale 16 (PSCI-16) questionnaire. Anxiety was assessed using the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) questionnaire, stress was assessed using the Stanford Acute Stress Reaction (SASR) questionnaire, and sleep was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaire. Path analysis was performed to evaluate the relationships between a dependent variable (social capital) and two or more independent variables, using Pearson’s correlation analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM). RESULTS: Low levels of social capital were associated with increased levels of anxiety and stress, but increased levels of social capital were positively associated with increased quality of sleep. Anxiety was associated with stress and reduced sleep quality, and the combination of anxiety and stress reduced the positive effects of social capital on sleep quality. CONCLUSION: During a period of individual self-isolation during the COVID-19 virus epidemic in central China, increased social capital improved sleep quality by reducing anxiety and stress.

Med Sci Monit2020       LitCov and CORD-19
4640Variplex™ test system fails to reliably detect SARS-CoV-2 directly from respiratory samples without RNA extraction  

Diagnosis of COVID is performed by PCR methods, but their capacity is limited by the requirement of high-level facilities and instruments. The loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method has been utilized for the detection of isolated virus-specific RNA. Preliminary data suggest the possibility of isothermal amplification directly from respiratory samples without RNA extraction. All patients admitted to our hospital were screened for SARS-CoV-2 by routine. Respiratory samples were tested by variplex system based on LAMP method directly without RNA extraction and by PCR. Primary endpoint was the false-negative rate of variplex test compared with PCR as gold standard. In 109 patients variplex test and PCR assay were performed simultaneously. Median age was 80 years and male/female ratio was 40/60%. The prevalence of PCR-confirmed COVID diagnosis was 43.1%. Variplex test was positive in 13.8%. False-negative rate of variplex test compared with PCR was 83.0%. The potential of LAMP technology using isolated RNA has been demonstrated impressively by others, and excellent sensitivity and specificity of detecting SARS-CoV-2 has been reported. However, without RNA extraction, the variplex test system failed to reliably detect SARS-CoV-2 directly in respiratory samples.

Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Di2020       LitCov and CORD-19
4641Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in Human Retinal Biopsies of Deceased COVID-19 Patients  

N/A

Ocul Immunol Inflamm2020       LitCov and CORD-19
4642Advances in clinical diagnosis and treatment of severe acute respiratory syndrome  

N/A

World J Gastroenterol2003       CORD-19
4643What is the impact of sensory practices on the quality of life of long-term care residents? A mixed-methods systematic review protocol  

N/A

Syst Rev2018       CORD-19
4644Relationship between viral load, infection-to-delivery interval and mother-to-child transfer of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies  

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) viral load and infection‐to‐delivery interval with maternal and cord serum concentrations of anti‐SARS‐CoV‐2 immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies and transplacental transfer ratio in pregnant women with active or recovered SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. METHODS: This was a prospective case series of consecutive pregnant women with laboratory‐confirmed SARS‐CoV‐2 infection between 27 March 2020 and 24 January 2021. We collected information regarding deep throat saliva or nasopharyngeal swab (NPS) reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) test results, serial cycle threshold (Ct) values at and after diagnosis, demographic, clinical and outcome data, and neonatal NPS RT‐PCR results. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of IgG and immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies against SARS‐CoV‐2 was performed in maternal and cord blood serum samples obtained at delivery. Correlation of maternal Ct values, infection‐to‐delivery interval, infection duration and viral load area under the curve (AUC) with gestational age (GA) at diagnosis, maternal and cord serum IgG concentrations and transplacental transfer ratio of IgG were evaluated using Pearson's correlation. RESULTS: Twenty pregnant women who consented to participate and who had delivered their babies by 31 January 2021 were included in the study, comprising 14 who had recovered from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) and six with active infection at delivery. The median GA at clinical manifestation was 32.7 (range, 11.9–39.4) weeks. The median infection‐to‐delivery interval and infection duration were 41.5 (range, 2–187) days and 10.0 (range, 1–48) days, respectively. The median GA at delivery was 39.1 (range, 32.4–40.7) weeks and the median seroconversion interval was 14 (range, 1–19) days. Of 13 neonates born to seropositive mothers with recovered infection at delivery, 12 tested positive for anti‐SARS‐CoV‐2 IgG. All neonatal NPS samples were negative for SARS‐CoV‐2 and all cord sera tested negative for IgM. The median transplacental transfer ratio of IgG was 1.3 (interquartile range, 0.9–1.6). There was a negative correlation between infection‐to‐delivery interval and anti‐SARS‐CoV‐2 IgG concentrations in maternal (r = –0.6693, P = 0.0087) and cord (r = –0.6554, P = 0.0068) serum and a positive correlation between IgG concentration in maternal serum and viral load AUC (r = 0.5109, P = 0.0310). A negative correlation was observed between transfer ratio and viral load AUC (r = –0.4757, P = 0.0409). CONCLUSIONS: In pregnant women who have recovered from COVID‐19, anti‐SARS‐CoV‐2 IgG concentrations at delivery increased with increasing viral load during infection and decreased with increasing infection‐to‐delivery interval. The median transplacental transfer ratio of IgG was 1.3 and it decreased with increasing viral load during infection. © 2021 International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol2021       LitCov and CORD-19
4645Clinical characteristics and outcome of critically ill COVID-19 patients with acute kidney injury: a single center cohort study  

BACKGROUND: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common manifestation among patients critically ill with SARS-CoV-2 infection (Coronavirus 2019) and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The pathophysiology of renal failure in this context is not fully understood, but likely to be multifactorial. The intensive care unit outcomes of patients following COVID-19 acute critical illness with associated AKI have not been fully explored. We conducted a cohort study to investigate the risk factors for acute kidney injury in patients admitted to and intensive care unit with COVID-19, its incidence and associated outcomes. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of all patients admitted to our adult intensive care unit suffering from SARS-CoV-2 infection from 14th March 2020 until 12th May 2020. Acute kidney injury was defined using the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcome (KDIGO) criteria. The outcome analysis was assessed up to date as 3rd of September 2020. RESULTS: A total of 81 patients admitted during this period. All patients had acute hypoxic respiratory failure and needed either noninvasive or invasive mechanical ventilatory support. Thirty-six patients (44%) had evidence of AKI (Stage I-33%, Stage II-22%, Renal Replacement Therapy (RRT)-44%). All patients with AKI stage III had RRT. Age, diabetes mellitus, immunosuppression, lymphopenia, high D-Dimer levels, increased APACHE II and SOFA scores, invasive mechanical ventilation and use of inotropic or vasopressor support were significantly associated with AKI. The peak AKI was at day 4 and mean duration of RRT was 12.5 days. The mortality was 25% for the AKI group compared to 6.7% in those without AKI. Among those received RRT and survived their illness, the renal function recovery is complete and back to baseline in all patients. CONCLUSION: Acute kidney injury and renal replacement therapy is common in critically ill patients presenting with COVID-19. It is associated with increased severity of illness on admission to ICU, increased mortality and prolonged ICU and hospital length of stay. Recovery of renal function was complete in all survived patients. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12882-021-02296-z.

BMC Nephrol2021       LitCov and CORD-19
4646Selective Naked-Eye Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Mediated by N Gene Targeted Antisense Oligonucleotide Capped Plasmonic Nanoparticles  

[Image: see text] The current outbreak of the pandemic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) demands its rapid, convenient, and large-scale diagnosis to downregulate its spread within as well as across the communities. But the reliability, reproducibility, and selectivity of majority of such diagnostic tests fail when they are tested either to a viral load at its early representation or to a viral gene mutated during its current spread. In this regard, a selective “naked-eye” detection of SARS-CoV-2 is highly desirable, which can be tested without accessing any advanced instrumental techniques. We herein report the development of a colorimetric assay based on gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), when capped with suitably designed thiol-modified antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) specific for N-gene (nucleocapsid phosphoprotein) of SARS-CoV-2, could be used for diagnosing positive COVID-19 cases within 10 min from the isolated RNA samples. The thiol-modified ASO-capped AuNPs agglomerate selectively in the presence of its target RNA sequence of SARS-CoV-2 and demonstrate a change in its surface plasmon resonance. Further, the addition of RNaseH cleaves the RNA strand from the RNA–DNA hybrid leading to a visually detectable precipitate from the solution mediated by the additional agglomeration among the AuNPs. The selectivity of the assay has been monitored in the presence of MERS-CoV viral RNA with a limit of detection of 0.18 ng/μL of RNA having SARS-CoV-2 viral load. Thus, the current study reports a selective and visual “naked-eye” detection of COVID-19 causative virus, SARS-CoV-2, without the requirement of any sophisticated instrumental techniques.

ACS Nano2020       LitCov and CORD-19
4647Use of Health Belief Model-Based Deep Learning Classifiers for COVID-19 Social Media Content to Examine Public Perceptions of Physical Distancing: Model Development and Case Study  

BACKGROUND: Public health authorities have been recommending interventions such as physical distancing and face masks, to curtail the transmission of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) within the community. Public perceptions toward such interventions should be identified to enable public health authorities to effectively address valid concerns. The Health Belief Model (HBM) has been used to characterize user-generated content from social media during previous outbreaks, with the aim of understanding the health behaviors of the public. OBJECTIVE: This study is aimed at developing and evaluating deep learning–based text classification models for classifying social media content posted during the COVID-19 outbreak, using the four key constructs of the HBM. We will specifically focus on content related to the physical distancing interventions put forth by public health authorities. We intend to test the model with a real-world case study. METHODS: The data set for this study was prepared by analyzing Facebook comments that were posted by the public in response to the COVID-19–related posts of three public health authorities: the Ministry of Health of Singapore (MOH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Public Health England. The comments made in the context of physical distancing were manually classified with a Yes/No flag for each of the four HBM constructs: perceived severity, perceived susceptibility, perceived barriers, and perceived benefits. Using a curated data set of 16,752 comments, gated recurrent unit–based recurrent neural network models were trained and validated for text classification. Accuracy and binary cross-entropy loss were used to evaluate the model. Specificity, sensitivity, and balanced accuracy were used to evaluate the classification results in the MOH case study. RESULTS: The HBM text classification models achieved mean accuracy rates of 0.92, 0.95, 0.91, and 0.94 for the constructs of perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, and perceived barriers, respectively. In the case study with MOH Facebook comments, specificity was above 96% for all HBM constructs. Sensitivity was 94.3% and 90.9% for perceived severity and perceived benefits, respectively. In addition, sensitivity was 79.6% and 81.5% for perceived susceptibility and perceived barriers, respectively. The classification models were able to accurately predict trends in the prevalence of the constructs for the time period examined in the case study. CONCLUSIONS: The deep learning–based text classifiers developed in this study help to determine public perceptions toward physical distancing, using the four key constructs of HBM. Health officials can make use of the classification model to characterize the health behaviors of the public through the lens of social media. In future studies, we intend to extend the model to study public perceptions of other important interventions by public health authorities.

JMIR Public Health Surveill2020       LitCov and CORD-19
4648Virus detectives seek source of SARS in China's wild animals  

Nature2003       CORD-19
4649The spike protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is cleaved in virus infected Vero-E6 cells  

Spike protein is one of the major structural proteins of severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus. It is essential for the interaction of the virons with host cell receptors and subsequent fusion of the viral envelop with host cell membrane to allow infection. Some spike proteins of coronavirus, such as MHV, HCoV-OC43, AIBV and BcoV, are proteolytically cleaved into two subunits, S1 and S2. In contrast, TGV, FIPV and HCoV-229E are not. Many studies have shown that the cleavage of spike protein seriously affects its function. In order to investigate the maturation and proteolytic processing of the S protein of SARS CoV, we generated S1 and S2 subunit specific antibodies (Abs) as well as N, E and 3CL protein-specific Abs. Our results showed that the antibodies could efficiently and specifically bind to their corresponding proteins from E.coli expressed or lysate of SARS-CoV infected Vero-E6 cells by Western blot analysis. Furthermore, the anti-S1 and S2 Abs were proved to be capable of binding to SARS CoV under electron microscope observation. When S2 Ab was used to perform immune precipitation with lysate of SARS-CoV infected cells, a cleaved S2 fragment was detected with S2-specific mAb by Western blot analysis. The data demonstrated that the cleavage of S protein was observed in the lysate, indicating that proteolytic processing of S protein is present in host cells.

Cell Res2004       CORD-19
4650The antiviral compound remdesivir potently inhibits RNA-dependent RNA polymerase from Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus  

Antiviral drugs for managing infections with human coronaviruses are not yet approved, posing a serious challenge to current global efforts aimed at containing the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome–coronavirus 2 (CoV-2). Remdesivir (RDV) is an investigational compound with a broad spectrum of antiviral activities against RNA viruses, including severe acute respiratory syndrome–CoV and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS–CoV). RDV is a nucleotide analog inhibitor of RNA-dependent RNA polymerases (RdRps). Here, we co-expressed the MERS–CoV nonstructural proteins nsp5, nsp7, nsp8, and nsp12 (RdRp) in insect cells as a part a polyprotein to study the mechanism of inhibition of MERS–CoV RdRp by RDV. We initially demonstrated that nsp8 and nsp12 form an active complex. The triphosphate form of the inhibitor (RDV-TP) competes with its natural counterpart ATP. Of note, the selectivity value for RDV-TP obtained here with a steady-state approach suggests that it is more efficiently incorporated than ATP and two other nucleotide analogs. Once incorporated at position i, the inhibitor caused RNA synthesis arrest at position i + 3. Hence, the likely mechanism of action is delayed RNA chain termination. The additional three nucleotides may protect the inhibitor from excision by the viral 3′–5′ exonuclease activity. Together, these results help to explain the high potency of RDV against RNA viruses in cell-based assays.

J Biol Chem2020       LitCov and 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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