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)
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.
Exceptional score (in top 0.01%).
Substantial score (in top 1%).
Average score (in bottom 99%).
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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)
| Title | Venue | Year | Impact | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7251 | The Present State of Understanding of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) Associated with SARS-CoV-2 Infection-A Comprehensive Review of the Current Literature N/A | S D Med | 2020 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 7252 | COVID-19, Australia: Epidemiology Report 16 (Reporting week to 23:59 AEST 17 May 2020) N/A | Commun Dis Intell (2018) | 2020 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 7253 | Predictors of eHealth Literacy and Its Associations with Preventive Behaviors, Fear of COVID-19, Anxiety and Depression among Undergraduate Nursing Students: A Cross-Sectional Survey Background: The infodemic has been co-existing with the COVID-19 pandemic with an influx of misinformation and conspiracy theories. These affect people’s psychological health and adherence to preventive measures. eHealth literacy (eHEALS) may help with alleviating the negative effects of the infodemic. As nursing students are future healthcare professionals, having adequate eHEALS skills is critically important in their clinical practice, safety, and health. This study aimed to (1) explore the eHEALS level and its associated factors, and (2) examine the associations of eHEALS with preventive behaviors, fear of COVID-19 (FCV-19S), anxiety, and depression among nursing students. Methods: We surveyed 1851 nursing students from 7 April to 31 May 2020 from eight universities across Vietnam. Data were collected, including demographic characteristics, eHEALS, adherence to preventive behaviors (handwashing, mask-wearing, physical distancing), FCV-19S, anxiety, and depression. Linear and logistic regression analyses were performed appropriately to examine associations. Results: The mean score of eHEALS was 31.4 ± 4.4. The eHEALS score was significantly higher in males (unstandardized regression coefficient, B, 0.94; 95% confidence interval, 95% CI, 0.15 to 1.73; p = 0.019), and students with a better ability to pay for medication (B, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.39 to 1.19; p < 0.001), as compared to their counterparts. Nursing students with a higher eHEALS score had a higher likelihood of adhering to hand-washing (odds ratio, OR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.15 to 1.22; p < 0.001), mask-wearing (OR, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.12 to 1.19; p < 0.001), keeping a safe physical distance (OR, 1.20; 95% CI, 1.15 to 1.25; p < 0.001), and had a lower anxiety likelihood (OR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.92 to 0.99; p = 0.011). Conclusions: Nursing students who were men and with better ability to pay for medication had higher eHEALS scores. Those with higher eHEALS scores had better adherence to preventive measures, and better psychological health. The development of strategies to improve eHEALS of nursing students may contribute to COVID-19 containment and improve their psychological health. | Int J Environ Res Public Healt | 2022 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 7254 | The Determinants of Conspiracy Beliefs Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic in a Nationally Representative Sample of Internet Users An overwhelming flood of misinformation is accompanying the pandemic of COVID-19. Fake news and conspiracy theories are so prevalent that the World Health Organization started as early as February 2020 to use the term “infodemic”. This paper is focused on the assessment of the prevalence of beliefs in conspiracy theories related to COVID-19 in Polish society. The association of support for conspiracy theories with sociodemographic variables, health literacy (HL) and eHealth literacy (eHL) was studied. The analysis reported here was based on the data from an online survey of a representative sample (n = 1002) of the adult population of Polish Internet users. The multivariate linear regression for the COVID-19-related conspiracy belief score (CCBS) and logistic regression models for the support of individual conspiracy theories was developed. The percentage of supporters of particular conspiracy theories in the study sample ranged from 43% to 56%. The CCBS was significantly associated with age, education level, vocational status and both HL and eHL. However, it was lower for persons with higher HL (regression coefficient (B) = −0.04, p < 0.001) but higher for those with higher eHL (B = 0.04, p = 0.038). The most influential predictors of CCBS were age (standardised regression coefficient (β) = −0.21) and education level (β from 0.08 to 0.16 for respondents with lower education levels and those with master’s degrees). In conclusion, younger persons rather than older, those with a lower rather than with a higher level of education, employees rather than students and persons with lower rather than higher HL were more likely to believe the conspiracy theories. Surprisingly, contrary to expectations, higher eHL was significantly associated with greater belief in such theories. | Int J Environ Res Public Healt | 2020 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 7255 | Identifying the effects of an upgraded 'fever clinic' on COVID-19 control and the workload of emergency department: retrospective study in a tertiary hospital in China OBJECTIVE: COVID-19 started spreading widely in China in January 2020. Outpatient fever clinics (FCs), instituted during the SARS epidemic in 2003, were upgraded to serve for COVID-19 screening and prevention of disease transmission in large tertiary hospitals in China. FCs were hoped to relieve some of the healthcare burden from emergency departments (EDs). We aimed to evaluate the effect of upgrading the FC system on rates of nosocomial COVID-19 infection and ED patient attendance at Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH). DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 6365 patients were screened in the FC. METHODS: The FC of PUMCH was upgraded on 20 January 2020. We performed a retrospective study of patients presenting to the FC between 12 December 2019 and 29 February 2020. The date when COVID-19 was declared an outbreak in Beijing was 20 January 2020. Two groups of data were collected and subsequently compared with each other: the first group of data was collected within 40 days before 20 January 2020; the second group of data was collected within 40 days after 20 January 2020. All necessary data, including patient baseline information, diagnosis, follow-up conditions and the transfer records between the FC and ED, were collected and analysed. RESULTS: 6365 patients were screened in the FC, among whom 2912 patients were screened before 21 January 2020, while 3453 were screened afterward. Screening results showed that upper respiratory infection was the major disease associated with fever. After the outbreak of COVID-19, the number of patients who were transferred from the FC to the ED decreased significantly (39.21% vs 15.75%, p<0.001), and patients generally spent more time in the FC (55 vs 203 min, p<0.001), compared with before the outbreak. For critically ill patients waiting for their screening results, the total length of stay in the FC was 22 min before the outbreak, compared with 442 min after the outbreak (p<0.001). The number of in-hospital deaths of critically ill patients in the FC was 9 out of 29 patients before the outbreak and 21 out of 38 after the outbreak (p<0.05). Nineteen cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in the FC during the period of this study. However, no other patients nor any healthcare providers were cross-infected. CONCLUSION: The workload of the FC increased significantly after the COVID-19 outbreak. New protocols regarding the use of FC likely helped prevent the spread of COVID-19 within the hospital. The upgraded FC also reduced the burden on the ED. | BMJ Open | 2020 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 7256 | Experiences of Latinx Individuals Hospitalized for COVID-19: A Qualitative Study IMPORTANCE: Latinx individuals, particularly immigrants, are at higher risk than non-Latinx White individuals of contracting and dying from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Little is known about Latinx experiences with COVID-19 infection and treatment. OBJECTIVE: To describe the experiences of Latinx individuals who were hospitalized with and survived COVID-19. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: The qualitative study used semistructured phone interviews of 60 Latinx adults who survived a COVID-19 hospitalization in public hospitals in San Francisco, California, and Denver, Colorado, from March 2020 to July 2020. Transcripts were analyzed using qualitative thematic analysis. Data analysis was conducted from May 2020 to September 2020. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Themes and subthemes that reflected patient experiences. RESULTS: Sixty people (24 women and 36 men; mean [SD] age, 48 [12] years) participated. All lived in low-income areas, 47 participants (78%) had more than 4 people in the home, and most (44 participants [73%]) were essential workers. Four participants (9%) could work from home, 12 (20%) had paid sick leave, and 21 (35%) lost their job because of COVID-19. We identified 5 themes (and subthemes) with public health and clinical care implications: COVID-19 was a distant and secondary threat (invincibility, misinformation and disbelief, ingrained social norms); COVID-19 was a compounder of disadvantage (fear of unemployment and eviction, lack of safeguards for undocumented immigrants, inability to protect self from COVID-19, and high-density housing); reluctance to seek medical care (worry about health care costs, concerned about ability to access care if uninsured or undocumented, undocumented immigrants fear deportation); health care system interactions (social isolation and change in hospital procedures, appreciation for clinicians and language access, and discharge with insufficient resources or clinical information); and faith and community resiliency (spirituality, Latinx COVID-19 advocates). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In interviews, Latinx patients with COVID-19 who survived hospitalization described initial disease misinformation and economic and immigration fears as having driven exposure and delays in presentation. To confront COVID-19 as a compounder of social disadvantage, public health authorities should mitigate COVID-19–related misinformation, immigration fears, and challenges to health care access, as well as create policies that provide work protection and address economic disadvantages. | JAMA Netw Open | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 7257 | Plasma inflammatory cytokines and chemokines in severe acute respiratory syndrome Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a recently emerged infectious disease caused by a novel coronavirus, but its immunopathological mechanisms have not yet been fully elucidated. We investigated changes in plasma T helper (Th) cell cytokines, inflammatory cytokines and chemokines in 20 patients diagnosed with SARS. Cytokine profile of SARS patients showed marked elevation of Th1 cytokine interferon (IFN)-γ, inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1, IL-6 and IL-12 for at least 2 weeks after disease onset, but there was no significant elevation of inflammatory cytokine tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α, anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10, Th1 cytokine IL-2 and Th2 cytokine IL-4. The chemokine profile demonstrated significant elevation of neutrophil chemokine IL-8, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), and Th1 chemokine IFN-γ-inducible protein-10 (IP-10). Corticosteroid reduced significantly IL-8, MCP-1 and IP-10 concentrations from 5 to 8 days after treatment (all P < 0·001). Together, the elevation of Th1 cytokine IFN-γ, inflammatory cytokines IL-1, IL-6 and IL-12 and chemokines IL-8, MCP-1 and IP-10 confirmed the activation of Th1 cell-mediated immunity and hyperinnate inflammatory response in SARS through the accumulation of monocytes/macrophages and neutrophils. | Clin Exp Immunol | 2004 | CORD-19 | |
| 7258 | Evidence that TMPRSS2 activates the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus spike protein for membrane fusion and reduces viral control by the humoral immune response N/A | J Virol | 2011 | CORD-19 | |
| 7259 | Epidemiological characteristics and clinical features of 32 critical and 67 noncritical cases of COVID-19 in Chengdu BACKGROUND: In December 2019, Wuhan, China, experienced an outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19). The number of cases has increased rapidly, but information on the clinical characteristics remains limited. OBJECTIVES: This paper describes the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of COVID-19. Early detection and identification of critically ill patients is necessary to facilitate scientific classification and treatment. STUDY DESIGN: This study included a retrospective, single-center case series of 99 consecutively hospitalized patients with confirmed COVID-19 at Chengdu Public Health Clinical Medical Center in Chengdu, China, from January 16 to February 20, 2020. The final date of follow-up was February 23, 2020. We collected and analyzed epidemiological, demographic, clinical, laboratory, radiological, and treatment data. We compared outcomes of critically ill patients and noncritically ill patients. RESULTS: Of the 99 hospitalized patients with COVID-19, the median age was 49 years (minimum, 3 months; maximum, 87 years) and 51 (52 %) were men; 42 (42 %) had traveled to or lived in Wuhan and 48 (49 %) had come into close contact with patients with new coronavirus pneumonia; 41 (41 %) patients had underlying disease. Common symptoms included fever (85 [86 %]), dry cough (84 [85 %]), and fatigue (72 [73 %]). We analyzed the clinical characteristics of patients. We expressed the measurement data as mean ± standard deviation. We collected data for age (49.39 ± 18.45 years), number of hospital days (12.32 ± 6.70 days), and laboratory indicators. We compared critically ill and noncritically ill patients: p-values for age, C-reactive protein, high-sensitivity troponin T, prothrombin time, fibrin degradation products, D-Dimer, and CD4+ count were p < 0.001; and p-values for hospital days, white blood cell, neutrophil, lymphocyte, creatine kinase isoenzyme, myoglobin, N-terminal brain natriuretic peptide, and CD8+ count were p < 0.05. CONCLUSIONS: We collected data from a single-center case series of 32 hospitalized patients who were critically ill with confirmed COVID-19 in Chengdu, China, and compared data with 67 noncritically ill patients. Elderly patients had chronic underlying diseases, notably cardiovascular disease. Higher C-reactive protein levels, higher levels of myocardial damage, and higher brain natriuretic peptide levels; lower white blood cells, neutrophils, and lymphocytes; and lower CD4 and CD8 counts could be used for early detection and identification of critically ill patients, and dynamic Data observation was more important than at a single moment. | J Clin Virol | 2020 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 7260 | Seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in Japanese COVID-19 patients OBJECTIVES: To determine the seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG and IgM antibodies in symptomatic Japanese COVID-19 patients. METHODS: Serum samples (n = 114) from 34 COVID-19 patients with mild to critical clinical manifestations were examined. The presence and titers of IgG antibody for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) were determined by a chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay (CMIA) using Alinity i SARS-CoV-2 IgG and by an immunochromatographic (IC) IgM/IgG antibody assay using the Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Rapid Test. RESULTS: IgG was detected by the CMIA in 40%, 88%, and 100% of samples collected within 1 week, 1–2 weeks, and 2 weeks after symptom onset in severe and critical cases, and 0%, 38%, and 100% in mild/moderate cases, respectively. In severe and critical cases, the positive IgG detection rate with the IC assay was 60% within one week and 63% between one and two weeks. In mild/moderate cases, the positive IgG rate was 17% within one week and 63% between one and two weeks; IgM was positive in 80% and 75% of severe and critical cases, and 42% and 88% of mild/moderate cases, respectively. On the CMIA, no anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies were detected in COVID-19 outpatients with mild symptoms within 10 days from onset, whereas 50% of samples from severe inpatients were IgG-positive in the same period. The IC assay detected higher IgM positivity earlier from symptom onset in severe and critical cases than in mild/moderate cases. CONCLUSIONS: A serologic anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody analysis can complement PCR for diagnosing COVID-19 14 days after symptom onset. | PLoS One | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 7261 | The psychosocial impact of flu influenza pandemics on healthcare workers and lessons learnt for the COVID-19 emergency: a rapid review OBJECTIVES: During a pandemic, healthcare workers (HCWs) are essential to the health system response. Based on our knowledge, little information is available regarding the psychosocial impact on HCWs or interventions for supporting them during pandemics. Therefore, the study aimed to assess available literature on perceived stress and psychological responses to influenza pandemics in HCWs and identify implications for healthcare practice and future research. METHODS: This is a rapid review of the literature. The review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. RESULTS: Across all the studies—both qualitative and quantitative—HCWs working during the epidemic reported frequent concerns regarding their own health and the fear of infecting their families, friends and colleagues. Moreover, social isolation, uncertainty, fears of stigmatization and reluctance to work or considering absenteeism were frequently reported. Moreover, many studies highlighted a high prevalence of high levels of stress, anxiety and depression symptoms, which could have long-term psychological implications in HCWs. CONCLUSIONS: This rapid review offers an overview of the major concerns regarding HCWs’ psychosocial well-being and possible preventive strategies, which could be useful for the current COVID-19 outbreak and similar future pandemics. Studies suggested to invest on preventive psychological, social, family and physical support and to guaranteeing reasonable work conditions and others in order to protect HCWs from the long-lasting psychological effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s00038-020-01463-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. | Int J Public Health | 2020 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 7262 | Racial and Ethnic Disparities in COVID-19 Incidence by Age, Sex and Period Among Persons Aged <25 Years-16 US Jurisdictions, January 1-December 31, 2020 The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected racial and ethnic minority groups in the United States. Whereas racial and ethnic disparities in severe COVID-19-associated outcomes, including mortality, have been documented (1-3), less is known about population-based disparities in infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. In addition, although persons aged <30 years account for approximately one third of reported infections,§ there is limited information on racial and ethnic disparities in infection among young persons over time and by sex and age. Based on 689,672 U.S. COVID-19 cases reported to CDC's case-based surveillance system by jurisdictional health departments, racial and ethnic disparities in COVID-19 incidence among persons aged <25 years in 16 U.S. jurisdictions¶ were described by age group and sex and across three periods during January 1-December 31, 2020. During January-April, COVID-19 incidence was substantially higher among most racial and ethnic minority groups compared with that among non-Hispanic White (White) persons (rate ratio [RR] range = 1.09-4.62). During May-August, the RR increased from 2.49 to 4.57 among non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NH/PI) persons but decreased among other racial and ethnic minority groups (RR range = 0.52-2.82). Decreases in disparities were observed during September-December (RR range = 0.37-1.69); these decreases were largely because of a greater increase in incidence among White persons, rather than a decline in incidence among racial and ethnic minority groups. NH/PI, non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native (AI/AN), and Hispanic or Latino (Hispanic) persons experienced the largest persistent disparities over the entire period. Ensuring equitable and timely access to preventive measures, including testing, safe work and education settings, and vaccination when eligible is important to address racial/ethnic disparities. | MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 7263 | Molecular dynamics simulations highlight the altered binding landscape at the spike-ACE2 interface between the Delta and Omicron variants compared to the SARS-CoV-2 original strain N/A | Comput Biol Med | 2022 | LitCov | |
| 7264 | The coronavirus spike protein is a class I virus fusion protein: structural and functional characterization of the fusion core complex N/A | J Virol | 2003 | CORD-19 | |
| 7265 | Increased physiological dead space in mechanically ventilated COVID-19 patients recovering from severe acute respiratory distress syndrome: a case report BACKGROUND: An ongoing outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is spreading globally. Recently, several articles have mentioned that the early acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) caused by COVID-19 significantly differ from those of ARDS due to other causes. Actually, we newly observed that some mechanically ventilated COVID-19 patients recovering from severe ARDS (more than 14 days after invasive ventilation) often experienced evidently gradual increases in CO(2) retention and minute ventilation. However, the underlying mechanics remain unclear. CASE PRESENTATION: To explain these pathophysiological features and discuss the ventilatory strategy during the late phase of severe ARDS in COVID-19 patients, we first used a metabolic module on a General Electric R860 ventilator (Engstrom Carestation; GE Healthcare, USA) to monitor parameters related to gas metabolism, lung mechanics and physiological dead space in two COVID-19 patients. We found that remarkably decreased ventilatory efficiency (e.g., the ratio of dead space to tidal volume 70–80%, arterial to end-tidal CO(2) difference 18–23 mmHg and ventilatory ratio 3–4) and hypermetabolism (oxygen consumption 300–400 ml/min, CO(2) elimination 200–300 ml/min) may explain why these patients experienced more severe respiratory distress and CO(2) retention in the late phase of ARDS caused by COVID-19. CONCLUSION: During the recovery period of ARDS among mechanically-ventilated COVID-19 patients, attention should be paid to the monitoring of physiological dead space and metabolism. Tidal volume (8–9 ml/kg) could be increased appropriately under the limited plateau pressure; however, barotrauma should still be kept in mind. | BMC Infect Dis | 2020 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 7266 | Diagnosis value of SARS-CoV-2 antigen/antibody combined testing using rapid diagnostic tests at hospital admission The implementation of rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) may enhance the efficiency of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) testing, as RDTs are widely accessible and easy to use. The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of a diagnosis strategy based on a combination of antigen and immunoglobulin M (IgM) or immunoglobulin G (IgG) serological RDTs. Plasma and nasopharyngeal samples were collected between 14 March and 11 April 2020 at hospital admission from 45 patients with reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) confirmed COVID‐19 and 20 negative controls. SARS‐CoV‐2 antigen (Ag) was assessed in nasopharyngeal swabs using the Coris Respi‐Strip. For IgM/IgG detection, SureScreen Diagnostics and Szybio Biotech RDTs were used in addition to laboratory assays (Abbott Alinity i SARS‐CoV‐2 IgG and Theradiag COVID‐19 IgM enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay). Using the Ag RDT, 13 out of 45 (29.0%) specimens tested positive, the sensitivity was 87.0% for cycle threshold (C (t)) values ≤25% and 0% for C (t) values greater than 25. IgG detection was associated with high C (t) values and the amount of time after the onset of symptoms. The profile of isolated IgM on RDTs was more frequently observed during the first and second week after the onset of symptoms. The combination of Ag and IgM/IgG RDTs enabled the detection of up to 84.0% of COVID‐19 confirmed cases at hospital admission. Antigen and antibody‐based RDTs showed suboptimal performances when used alone. However when used in combination, they are able to identify most COVID‐19 patients admitted in an emergency department. | J Med Virol | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 7267 | The impact of the COVID‒19 pandemic on organ donation and transplantation in Hungary in 2020 N/A | Orv Hetil | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 7268 | Adverse events following COVID-19 vaccination: A systematic review and meta-analysis N/A | Int Immunopharmacol | 2022 | LitCov | |
| 7269 | Opportunities from a new disease for an old threat: Extending COVID-19 efforts to address tuberculosis in South Africa N/A | S Afr Med J | 2020 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 7270 | Electrochemical immunosensor with Cu2O nanocube coating for detection of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein Severe acute respiratory syndrome SARS-CoV-2 has caused a global pandemic starting in 2020. Accordingly, testing is crucial for mitigating the economic and public health effects. In order to facilitate point-of-care diagnosis, this study aims at presenting a label-free electrochemical biosensor as a powerful nanobiodevice for SARS-CoV-2 spike protein detection. Utilizing the IgG anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike antibody onto the electrode surface as a specific platform in an ordered orientation through staphylococcal protein A (ProtA) is highly significant in fabricating the designed nanobiodevice. In this sense, the screen-printed carbon electrode modified with Cu(2)O nanocubes (Cu(2)O NCs), which provide a large surface area in a very small space, was applied in order to increase the ProtA loading on the electrode surface. Accordingly, the sensitivity and stability of the sensing platform significantly increased. The electrochemical evaluations proved that there is a very good linear relationship between the charge transfer resistance (R(ct)) and spike protein contents via a specific binding reaction in the range 0.25 fg mL(−1) to 1 μg mL(−1). Moreover, the assay when tested with influenza viruses 1 and 2 was performed in 20 min with a low detection limit of 0.04 fg mL(−1) for spike protein without any cross-reactivity. The designed nanobiodevice exhibited an average satisfactory recovery rate of ~ 97–103% in different artificial sample matrices, i.e., saliva, artificial nasal, and universal transport medium (UTM), illustrating its high detection performance and practicability. The nanobiodevice was also tested using real patients and healthy samples, where the results had been already obtained using the standard polymerase chain reaction (PCR) procedure, and showed satisfactory results. [Figure: see text] SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00604-021-04762-9. | Mikrochim Acta | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 7271 | The effect of control measures on COVID-19 transmission in Italy: Comparison with Guangdong province in China BACKGROUND: COVID-19 has spread all around the world. Italy is one of the worst affected countries in Europe. Although there is a trend of relief, the epidemic situation hasn’t stabilized yet. This study aims to investigate the dynamics of the disease spread in Italy and provide some suggestions on containing the epidemic. METHODS: We compared Italy’s status at the outbreak stage and control measures with Guangdong Province in China by data observation and analysis. A modified autonomous SEIR model was used to study the COVID-19 epidemic and transmission potential during the early stage of the outbreak in Italy. We also utilized a time-dependent dynamic model to study the future disease dynamics in Italy. The impact of various non-pharmaceutical control measures on epidemic was investigated through uncertainty and sensitivity analyses. RESULTS: The comparison of specific measures implemented in the two places and the time when the measures were initiated shows that the initial prevention and control actions in Italy were not sufficiently timely and effective. We estimated parameter values based on available cumulative data and calculated the basic reproduction number to be 4.32 before the national lockdown in Italy. Based on the estimated parameter values, we performed numerical simulations to predict the epidemic trend and evaluate the impact of contact limitation, detection and diagnosis, and individual behavior change due to media coverage on the epidemic. CONCLUSIONS: Italy was in a severe epidemic status and the control measures were not sufficiently timely and effective in the beginning. Non-pharmaceutical interventions, including contact restrictions and improvement of case recognition, play an important role in containing the COVID-19 epidemic. The effect of individual behavior changes due to media update of the outbreak cannot be ignored. For policy-makers, early and strict blockade measures, fast detection and improving media publicity are key to containing the epidemic. | Infect Dis Poverty | 2020 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 7272 | Risk factors for anxiety and depression among pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic: A web-based cross-sectional survey INTRODUCTION: The article presents a protocol of a cross-sectional study of mental health of pregnant women in relation to the coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic. The primary aim is to compare differences in anxiety and depression scores of pregnant women between countries affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The secondary aim is to assess demographic, economic, and social aspects affecting maternal anxiety and depression scores among pregnant women worldwide in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, we will be able to compare differences in perception of the different aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic (social distancing, restrictions related to delivery) between countries and according to the epidemic status (number of infected patients, number of reported deaths). The comparisons will also be done according to the COVID-19 status of the participants. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: It is a web-based anonymous survey of pregnant women living in countries affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey is comprised of 3 sections: 1).. Questions related to general demography, pregnancy health history, mental health history, socioeconomic factors, as well as perception of fear, burden and restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic; 2).. General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) questionnaire for anxiety assessment and; 3).. Patient Health Questionnaire–9 (PHQ-9) for depression assessment. Web-based recruitment for health research has proven to be cost-effective and efficient. At current times with the COVID-19 pandemic, limited resources and social distancing restrictions, performing a mental health study involving pregnant women on a large international scale cannot be safely conducted without involving social-media. The fears of pregnant women fall into 3 categories: the medical condition, the economic status and the organization of daily activity. The study has received approval of the medical ethics committee and has been registered on Clinicaltrials.gov. Results will be published in peer-reviewed journals and made public through all available media. | Medicine (Baltimore) | 2020 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 7273 | Infection preventive behaviors and its association with perceived threat and perceived social factors during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea: 2020 community health survey N/A | BMC Public Health | 2022 | LitCov | |
| 7274 | Development of Effective Therapeutic Molecule from Natural Sources against Coronavirus Protease The SARS-CoV-2 main protease (M(pro)) is one of the molecular targets for drug design. Effective vaccines have been identified as a long-term solution but the rate at which they are being administered is slow in several countries, and mutations of SARS-CoV-2 could render them less effective. Moreover, remdesivir seems to work only with some types of COVID-19 patients. Hence, the continuous investigation of new treatments for this disease is pivotal. This study investigated the inhibitory role of natural products against SARS-CoV-2 M(pro) as repurposable agents in the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Through in silico approach, selected flavonoids were docked into the active site of M(pro). The free energies of the ligands complexed with M(pro) were computationally estimated using the molecular mechanics-generalized Born surface area (MM/GBSA) method. In addition, the inhibition process of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro with these ligands was simulated at 100 ns in order to uncover the dynamic behavior and complex stability. The docking results showed that the selected flavonoids exhibited good poses in the binding domain of M(pro). The amino acid residues involved in the binding of the selected ligands correlated well with the residues involved with the mechanism-based inhibitor (N3) and the docking score of Quercetin-3-O-Neohesperidoside (−16.8 Kcal/mol) ranked efficiently with this inhibitor (−16.5 Kcal/mol). In addition, single-structure MM/GBSA rescoring method showed that Quercetin-3-O-Neohesperidoside (−87.60 Kcal/mol) is more energetically favored than N3 (−80.88 Kcal/mol) and other ligands (Myricetin 3-Rutinoside (−87.50 Kcal/mol), Quercetin 3-Rhamnoside (−80.17 Kcal/mol), Rutin (−58.98 Kcal/mol), and Myricitrin (−49.22 Kcal/mol). The molecular dynamics simulation (MDs) pinpointed the stability of these complexes over the course of 100 ns with reduced RMSD and RMSF. Based on the docking results and energy calculation, together with the RMSD of 1.98 ± 0.19 Å and RMSF of 1.00 ± 0.51 Å, Quercetin-3-O-Neohesperidoside is a better inhibitor of M(pro) compared to N3 and other selected ligands and can be repurposed as a drug candidate for the treatment of COVID-19. In addition, this study demonstrated that in silico docking, free energy calculations, and MDs, respectively, are applicable to estimating the interaction, energetics, and dynamic behavior of molecular targets by natural products and can be used to direct the development of novel target function modulators. | Int J Mol Sci | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 7275 | Experiences of people with opioid use disorder during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study AIM: To capture pandemic experiences of people with opioid use disorder (OUD) to better inform the programs that serve them. DESIGN: We designed, conducted, and analyzed semi-structured qualitative interviews using grounded theory. We conducted interviews until theme saturation was reached and we iteratively developed a codebook of emerging themes. Individuals with lived experience of substance use provided feedback at all steps of the study. SETTING: We conducted phone or in-person interviews in compliance with physical distancing and public health regulations in outdoor Vancouver parks or well-ventilated indoor spaces between June to September 2020. PARTICIPANTS: Using purposive sampling, we recruited participants (n = 19) who were individuals with OUD enrolled in an intensive community outreach program, had visited one of two emergency departments, were over 18, lived within catchment, and were not already receiving opioid agonist therapy. MEASUREMENTS: We audio-recorded interviews, which were later transcribed verbatim and checked for accuracy while removing all identifiers. Interviews explored participants’ knowledge of COVID-19 and related safety measures, changes to drug use and healthcare services, and community impacts of COVID-19. RESULTS: One third of participants were women, approximately two thirds had stable housing, and ages ranged between 23 and 59 years old. Participants were knowledgeable on COVID-19 public health measures. Some participants noted that fear decreased social connection and reluctance to help reverse overdoses; others expressed pride in community cohesion during crisis. Several participants mentioned decreased access to housing, harm reduction, and medical care services. Several participants reported using drugs alone more frequently, consuming different or fewer drugs because of supply shortages, or using more drugs to replace lost activities. CONCLUSION: COVID-19 had profound effects on the social lives, access to services, and risk-taking behaviour of people with opioid use disorder. Pandemic public health measures must include risk mitigation strategies to maintain access to critical opioid-related services. | PLoS One | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 7276 | Factors predictive of anti-spike antibody titers after COVID-19 vaccination in hemodialysis patients N/A | Adv Clin Exp Med | 2022 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 7277 | Quantifying inequities in COVID-19 vaccine distribution over time by social vulnerability, race and ethnicity and location: A population-level analysis in St. Louis and Kansas City, Missouri N/A | PLoS Med | 2022 | LitCov | |
| 7278 | An examination of telehealth policy impacts on initial rural opioid use disorder treatment patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic PURPOSE: Tracking changes in care utilization of medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) services before, during, and after COVID‐19‐associated changes in policy and service delivery in a mixed rural and micropolitan setting. METHODS: Using a retrospective, open‐cohort design, we examined visit data of MOUD patients at a family medicine clinic across three identified periods: pre‐COVID, COVID transition, and COVID. Outcome measures include the number and type of visits (in‐person or telehealth), the number of new patients entering treatment, and the number of urine drug screens performed. Distance from patient residence to clinic was calculated to assess access to care in rural areas. Goodness‐of‐Fit Chi‐Square tests and ANOVAs were used to identify differences between time periods. FINDINGS: Total MOUD visits increased during COVID (436 pre vs. 581 post, p < 0.001), while overall new patient visits remained constant (33 pre vs. 29 post, p = 0.755). The clinic's overall catchment area increased in size, with new patients coming primarily from rural areas. Length of time between urine drug screens increased (21.1 days pre vs. 43.5 days post, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The patterns of MOUD care utilization during this period demonstrate the effectiveness of telehealth in this area. Policy changes allowing for MOUD to be delivered via telehealth, waiving the need for in‐person initiation of MOUD, and increased Medicaid compensation for MOUD may play a valuable role in improving access to MOUD during the COVID‐19 pandemic and beyond. | J Rural Health | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 7279 | Long COVID symptoms in SARS-CoV-2-positive children aged 0-14 years and matched controls in Denmark (LongCOVIDKidsDK): a national, cross-sectional study N/A | Lancet Child Adolesc Health | 2022 | LitCov | |
| 7280 | Influence of treatment with neutralizing monoclonal antibodies on the SARS-CoV-2 nasopharyngeal load and quasispecies OBJECTIVES: We aimed to evaluate the impact of neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) treatment and to determine whether the mAbs selective pressure could facilitate the proliferation of virus variants with spike protein mutations that might attenuate mAb effectiveness. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We therefore evaluated the impact of mAbs on the nasopharyngeal (NP) viral load and virus quasispecies of mAb-treated patients using single molecule real time sequencing (Pacific Biosciences). The mAbs used were: Bamlanivimab alone (4 patients), Bamlanivimab/Etesevimab (23 patients), and Casirivimab/Imdevimab (5 patients). RESULTS: The NP SARS-CoV-2 viral load of mAb-treated patients decreased from 8.2 log(10) copies/ml before administration to 4.3 log(10) copies/ml 7 days after administration. Five immunocompromised patients given Bamlanivimab/Etesevimab were found to have mAbs activity-reducing spike mutations. Two patients harbored SARS-CoV-2 variants with a Q493R spike mutation 7 days after administration, as did a third patient 14 days after administration. The fourth patient harbored a variant with a Q493K spike mutation 7 days post-treatment, and the fifth patient had a variant with a E484K spike mutation on day 21. The emergence of the spike mutation was accompanied by stabilization or rebound of the NP viral load in 3/5 patients. CONCLUSION: Two-mAb therapy can drive the selection of resistant SARS-CoV-2 variants in immunocompromised patients. Patients given mAbs should be closely monitored and measures to limit virus spread reinforced. | Clin Microbiol Infect | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 7281 | Remdesivir, lopinavir, emetine and homoharringtonine inhibit SARS-CoV-2 replication in vitro An escalating pandemic by the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus is impacting global health and effective therapeutic options are urgently needed. We evaluated the in vitro antiviral effect of compounds that were previously reported to inhibit coronavirus replication and compounds that are currently under evaluation in clinical trials for SARS-CoV-2 patients. We report the antiviral effect of remdesivir, lopinavir, homorringtonine, and emetine against SARS-CoV-2 virus in Vero E6 cells with the estimated 50% effective concentration at 23.15 μM, 26.63 μM, 2.55 μM and 0.46 μM, respectively. Ribavirin or favipiravir that are currently evaluated under clinical trials showed no inhibition at 100 μM. Synergy between remdesivir and emetine was observed, and remdesivir at 6.25 μM in combination with emetine at 0.195 μM may achieve 64.9% inhibition in viral yield. Combinational therapy may help to reduce the effective concentration of compounds below the therapeutic plasma concentrations and provide better clinical benefits. | Antiviral Res | 2020 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 7282 | High Neutralizing Antibody Levels Against SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 After UB-612 Vaccine Booster N/A | J Infect Dis | 2022 | LitCov | |
| 7283 | Comparative analysis of COVID-19 guidelines from six countries: a qualitative study on the US, China, South Korea, the UK, Brazil and Haiti BACKGROUND: In late January, a worldwide crisis known as COVID-19 was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the WHO. Within only a few weeks, the outbreak took on pandemic proportions, affecting over 100 countries. It was a significant issue to prevent and control COVID-19 on both national and global scales due to the dramatic increase in confirmed cases worldwide. Government guidelines provide a fundamental resource for communities, as they guide citizens on how to protect themselves against COVID-19, however, they also provide critical guidance for policy makers and healthcare professionals on how to take action to decrease the spread of COVID-19. We aimed to identify the differences and similarities between six different countries’ (US, China, South Korea, UK, Brazil and Haiti) government-provided community and healthcare system guidelines, and to explore the relationship between guideline issue dates and the prevalence/incidence of COVID-19 cases. METHODS: To make these comparisons, this exploratory qualitative study used document analysis of government guidelines issued to the general public and to healthcare professionals. Documents were purposively sampled (N = 55) and analyzed using content analysis. RESULTS: The major differences in the evaluation and testing criteria in the guidelines across the six countries centered around the priority of testing for COVID-19 in the general population, which was strongly dependent on each country’s healthcare capacity. However, the most similar guidelines pertained to the clinical signs and symptoms of COVID-19, and methods to prevent its contraction. CONCLUSION: In the initial stages of the outbreak, certain strategies were universally employed to control the deadly virus’s spread, including quarantining the sick, contact tracing, and social distancing. However, each country dealt with differing healthcare capacities, risks, threats, political and socioeconomic challenges, and distinct healthcare systems and infrastructure. Acknowledging these differences highlights the importance of examining the various countries’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic with a nuanced view, as each of these factors shaped the government guidelines distributed to each country’s communities and healthcare systems. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-020-09924-7. | BMC Public Health | 2020 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 7284 | The outcomes of patients with diabetes mellitus in The Philippine CORONA Study Patients diagnosed with diabetes mellitus (DM) who are infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) belong to the most vulnerable patient subgroups. Emerging data has shown increased risks of severe infections, increased in ICU admissions, longer durations of admission, and increased mortality among coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients with diabetes. We performed a subgroup analysis comparing the outcomes of patients diagnosed with DM (n = 2191) versus patients without DM (n = 8690) on our data from our study based on a nationwide, comparative, retrospective, cohort study among adult, hospitalized COVID-19 patients involving 37 hospital sites from around the Philippines. We determined distribution differences between two independent samples using Mann–Whitney U and t tests. Data on the time to onset of mortality, respiratory failure, intensive care unit (ICU) admission were used to build Kaplan–Meier curves and to compute for hazard ratios (HR). The odds ratios (OR) for longer ventilator dependence, longer ICU stay, and longer hospital stays were computed via multivariate logistic regression. Adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) and ORs (aOR) with 95% CI were calculated. We included a total of 10,881 patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection (2191 have DM while 8690 did not have DM). The median age of the DM cohort was 61, with a female to male ratio of 1:1.25 and more than 50% of the DM population were above 60 years old. The aOR for mortality was significantly higher among those in the DM group by 1.46 (95% CI 1.28–1.68; p < 0.001) as compared to the non-DM group. Similarly, the aOR for respiratory failure was also significantly higher among those in the DM group by 1.67 (95% CI 1.46–1.90). The aOR for developing severe COVID-19 at nadir was significantly higher among those in the DM group by 1.85 (95% CI 1.65–2.07; p < 0.001). The aOR for ICU admission was significantly higher among those in the DM group by 1.80 (95% CI 1.59–2.05) than those in the non-DM group. DM patients had significantly longer duration of ventilator dependence (aOR 1.33, 95% CI 1.08–1.64; p = 0.008) and longer hospital admission (aOR 1.13, 95% CI 1.01–1.26; p = 0.027). The presence of DM among COVID-19 patients significantly increased the risk of mortality, respiratory failure, duration of ventilator dependence, severe/critical COVID-19, ICU admission, and length of hospital stay. | Sci Rep | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 7285 | COVID Challenges and Adaptations Among Home-Based Primary Care Practices: Lessons for an Ongoing Pandemic from a National Survey OBJECTIVES: Approximately 7.5 million US adults are homebound or have difficulty accessing office-based primary care. Home-based primary care (HBPC) provides such patients access to longitudinal medical care at home. The purpose of this study was to describe the challenges and adaptations by HBPC practices made during the first surge of the COVID-19 pandemic. DESIGN: Mixed-methods national survey. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: HBPC practices identified as members of the American Academy of Homecare Medicine (AAHCM) or participants of Home-Centered Care Institute (HCCI) training programs. METHODS: Online survey regarding practice responses to COVID-19 surges, COVID-19 testing, the use of telemedicine, practice challenges due to COVID-19, and adaptations to address these challenges. Descriptive statistics and t tests described frequency distributions of nominal and categorical data; qualitative content analysis was used to summarize responses to the open-ended questions. RESULTS: Seventy-nine practices across 29 states were included in the final analyses. Eighty-five percent of practices continued to provide in-person care and nearly half cared for COVID-19 patients. Most practices pivoted to new use of video visits (76.3%). The most common challenges were as follows: patient lack of familiarity with telemedicine (81.9%), patient anxiety (77.8%), clinician anxiety (69.4%), technical difficulties reaching patients (66.7%), and supply shortages including masks, gown, and disinfecting materials (55.6%). Top adaptive strategies included using telemedicine (95.8%), reducing in-person visits (81.9%), providing resources for patients (52.8%), and staff training in PPE use and COVID testing (52.8%). CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: HBPC practices experienced a wide array of COVID-19–related challenges. Most continued to see patients in the home, augmented visits with telemedicine and creatively adapted to the challenges. An increased recognition of the need for in-home care by health systems who observed its critical role in caring for fragile older adults may serve as a silver lining to the otherwise dark sky of the COVID-19 pandemic. | J Am Med Dir Assoc | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 7286 | Validation of Commercial SARS-CoV-2 Immunoassays in a Nigerian Population Validated assays are essential for reliable serosurveys; however, most SARS-CoV-2 immunoassays have been validated using specimens from China, Europe, or U.S. populations. We evaluated the performance of five commercial SARS-CoV-2 immunoassays to inform their use in serosurveys in Nigeria. Four semiquantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) (Euroimmun anti-SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein [NCP] immunoglobulin G [IgG], Euroimmun spike SARS-CoV-2 IgG, Mologic Omega COVID-19 IgG, Bio-Rad Platelia SARS-CoV-2 Total Ab) and one chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay (Abbott Architect SARS-CoV-2 IgG) were evaluated. We estimated the analytical performance characteristics using plasma from 100 SARS-CoV-2 PCR-positive patients from varied time points post-PCR confirmation and 100 prepandemic samples (50 HIV positive and 50 hepatitis B positive). The Bio-Rad assay failed the manufacturer-specified validation steps. The Euroimmun NCP, Euroimmun spike, and Mologic assays had sensitivities of 73.7%, 74.4%, and 76.9%, respectively, on samples taken 15 to 58 days after PCR confirmation and specificities of 97%, 100%, and 83.8%, respectively. The Abbott assay had 71.3% sensitivity and 100% specificity on the same panel. Parallel or serial algorithms combining two tests did not substantially improve the sensitivity or specificity. Our results showed lower sensitivity and, for one immunoassay, lower specificity compared to the manufacturers’ results and other reported validations. Seroprevalence estimates using these assays might need to be interpreted with caution in Nigeria and similar settings. These findings highlight the importance of in-country validations of SARS-CoV-2 serological assays prior to use to ensure that accurate results are available for public health decision-making to control the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa. IMPORTANCE This study used positive and negative sample panels from Nigeria to test the performance of several commercially available SARS-CoV-2 serological assays. Using these prepandemic and SARS-CoV-2-positive samples, we found much lower levels of sensitivity in four commercially available assays than most assay manufacturer reports and independent evaluations. The use of these assays with suboptimal sensitivity and specificity in Nigeria or countries with population exposure to similar endemic pathogens could lead to a biased estimate of the seroprevalence, over- or underestimating the true disease prevalence, and limit efforts to stop the spread of SARS-CoV-2. It is important to conduct in-country validations of serological SARS-CoV-2 assays prior to their widespread use, especially in countries with limited representation in published assay validations. | Microbiol Spectr | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 7287 | Immune Evasive Effects of SARS-CoV-2 Variants to COVID-19 Emergency Used Vaccines Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is a serious threat to global public health and social and economic development. Various vaccine platforms have been developed rapidly and unprecedentedly, and at least 16 vaccines receive emergency use authorization (EUA). However, the causative pathogen severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has continued to evolve and mutate, emerging lots of viral variants. Several variants have successfully become the predominant strains and spread all over the world because of their ability to evade the pre-existing immunity obtained after previous infections with prototype strain or immunizations. Here, we summarized the prevalence and biological structure of these variants and the efficacy of currently used vaccines against the SARS-CoV-2 variants to provide guidance on how to design vaccines more rationally against the variants. | Front Immunol | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 7288 | COVID-19 vaccine response in pregnant and lactating women: a cohort study Background Pregnant and lactating women were excluded from initial COVID-19 vaccine trials; thus, data to guide vaccine decision-making are lacking. Objectives To evaluate the immunogenicity and reactogenicity of COVID-19 mRNA vaccination in pregnant and lactating women compared to: (1) non-pregnant controls and (2) natural COVID-19 infection in pregnancy. Study Design 131 reproductive-age vaccine recipients (84 pregnant, 31 lactating, and 16 non-pregnant) were enrolled in a prospective cohort study at two academic medical centers. Titers of SARS-CoV-2 Spike and RBD IgG, IgA and IgM were quantified in participant sera (N=131) and breastmilk (N=31) at baseline, second vaccine dose, 2-6 weeks post second vaccine, and at delivery by Luminex. Umbilical cord sera (N=10) titers were assessed at delivery. Titers were compared to those of pregnant women 4-12 weeks from natural infection (N=37) by ELISA. A pseudovirus neutralization assay was used to quantify neutralizing antibody titers for the subset of women who delivered during the study period. Post-vaccination symptoms were assessed via questionnaire. Kruskal-Wallis tests and a mixed effects model, with correction for multiple comparisons, were used to assess differences between groups. Results Vaccine-induced antibody titers were equivalent in pregnant and lactating compared to non-pregnant women (median [IQR] 5.59 [4.68-5.89] pregnant, 5.74 [5.06-6.22] lactating, 5.62 [4.77-5.98] non-pregnant, p = 0.24). All titers were significantly higher than those induced by SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy (p < 0.0001). Vaccine-generated antibodies were present in all umbilical cord blood and breastmilk samples. Neutralizing antibody titers were lower in umbilical cord compared to maternal sera, although this finding did not achieve statistical significance (median [IQR] 104.7 [61.2-188.2] maternal sera, 52.3 [11.7-69.6] cord sera, p=0.05). The second vaccine dose (boost dose) increased SARS-CoV-2-specific IgG, but not IgA, in maternal blood and breastmilk. No differences were noted in reactogenicity across the groups. Conclusions COVID-19 mRNA vaccines generated robust humoral immunity in pregnant and lactating women, with immunogenicity and reactogenicity similar to that observed in non-pregnant women. Vaccine-induced immune responses were significantly greater than the response to natural infection. Immune transfer to neonates occurred via placenta and breastmilk. | Am J Obstet Gynecol | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 7289 | In vitro neutralizing activity of BNT162b2 mRNA induced antibodies against full B.1.351 SARS-CoV-2 variant N/A | Transbound Emerg Dis | 2022 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 7290 | Social distancing policies in 22 African countries during the COVID-19 pandemic: a desk review INTRODUCTION: on January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the novel coronavirus outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. As of October 5, 2020, there were over 34.8 million reported cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and more than 1 million reported deaths from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), globally. Non-pharmaceutical interventions, such as social distancing policies, hand hygiene, and mask use, are key public health measures to control COVID-19. In response to, or in some cases even before, the first wave of SARS-CoV-2 infections were reported in their countries, policy makers across Africa issued various social distancing policies. METHODS: we describe social distancing policies issued from March 1 to April 24, 2020 in 22 Anglophone countries of sub-Saharan Africa. We reviewed policies identified online. RESULTS: though all 22 countries closed schools and banned gatherings, they took a variety of approaches to sizes of gatherings banned and to stay-at-home orders, with 13 countries issuing national stay-at-home orders, four issuing subnational stay-at-home orders, and five not issuing stay-at-home orders. Enforcement provisions varied by country, as did funeral and health care exceptions. CONCLUSION: movement restrictions, business restrictions, and school closures can have substantial negative impacts on economies, education, nutrition, and routine health care. Yet easing or lifting of COVID-19 social distancing policies can lead to increased transmission. Our review documents a wide variety of policy alternatives used in Africa and can inform future adjustments as countries ease, lift, and reapply measures in response to their evolving epidemics. | Pan Afr Med J | 2020 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 7291 | Orthogonal SARS-CoV-2 Serological Assays Enable Surveillance of Low-Prevalence Communities and Reveal Durable Humoral Immunity We conducted a serological study to define correlates of immunity against SARS-CoV-2. Relative to mild COVID-19 cases, individuals with severe disease exhibited elevated virus-neutralizing titers and antibodies against nucleocapsid (N) and the receptor binding domain (RBD) of spike protein. Age and sex played lesser roles. All cases, including asymptomatic individuals, seroconverted by 2 weeks post-PCR confirmation. Spike RBD and S2 and neutralizing antibodies remained detectable through 5-7 months post-onset, whereas α-N titers diminished. Testing of 5882 members of the local community revealed only 1 sample with seroreactivity to both RBD and S2 that lacked neutralizing antibodies. This fidelity could not be achieved with either RBD or S2 alone. Thus, inclusion of multiple independent assays improved the accuracy of antibody tests in low seroprevalence communities and revealed differences in antibody kinetics depending on the antigen. We conclude that neutralizing antibodies are stably produced for at least 5-7 months after SARS-CoV-2 infection. | Immunity | 2020 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 7292 | Virological characteristics of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2 spike Soon after the emergence and global spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron lineage, BA.1, another Omicron lineage, BA.2, began outcompeting BA.1. The results of statistical analysis showed that the effective reproduction number of BA.2 is 1.4-fold higher than that of BA.1. Neutralization experiments revealed that immunity induced by COVID vaccines widely administered to human populations is not effective against BA.2, similar to BA.1, and that the antigenicity of BA.2 is notably different from that of BA.1. Cell culture experiments showed that the BA.2 spike confers higher replication efficacy in human nasal epithelial cells and is more efficient in mediating syncytia formation than the BA.1 spike. Furthermore, infection experiments using hamsters indicated that the BA.2 spike-bearing virus is more pathogenic than the BA.1 spike-bearing virus. Altogether, the results of our multiscale investigations suggest that the risk of BA.2 to global health is potentially higher than that of BA.1. | Cell | 2022 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 7293 | Outcomes of patients with hematologic malignancies and COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 3377 patients Outcomes for patients with hematologic malignancy infected with COVID-19 have not been aggregated. The objective of this study was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the risk of death and other important outcomes for these patients. We searched PubMed and EMBASE up to 20 August 2020 to identify reports of patients with hematologic malignancy and COVID-19. The primary outcome was a pooled mortality estimate, considering all patients and only hospitalized patients. Secondary outcomes included risk of intensive care unit admission and ventilation in hospitalized patients. Subgroup analyses included mortality stratified by age, treatment status, and malignancy subtype. Pooled prevalence, risk ratios (RRs), and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using a random-effects model. Thirty-four adult and 5 pediatric studies (3377 patients) from Asia, Europe, and North America were included (14 of 34 adult studies included only hospitalized patients). Risk of death among adult patients was 34% (95% CI, 28-39; N = 3240) in this sample of predominantly hospitalized patients. Patients aged ≥60 years had a significantly higher risk of death than patients <60 years (RR, 1.82; 95% CI, 1.45-2.27; N = 1169). The risk of death in pediatric patients was 4% (95% CI, 1-9; N = 102). RR of death comparing patients with recent systemic anticancer therapy to no treatment was 1.17 (95% CI, 0.83-1.64; N = 736). Adult patients with hematologic malignancy and COVID-19, especially hospitalized patients, have a high risk of dying. Patients ≥60 years have significantly higher mortality; pediatric patients appear to be relatively spared. Recent cancer treatment does not appear to significantly increase the risk of death. | Blood | 2020 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 7294 | Acute Kidney Injury in Pediatric Inflammatory Multisystem Syndrome Temporally Associated With SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: Experience From PICUs Across UK N/A | Crit Care Med | 2020 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 7295 | Elevated Glucose Levels Favor SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Monocyte Response through a HIF-1alpha/Glycolysis-Dependent Axis COVID-19 can result in severe lung injury. It remained to be determined why diabetic individuals with uncontrolled glucose levels are more prone to develop the severe form of COVID-19. The molecular mechanism underlying SARS-CoV-2 infection and what determines the onset of the cytokine storm found in severe COVID-19 patients are unknown. Monocytes and macrophages are the most enriched immune cell types in the lungs of COVID-19 patients and appear to have a central role in the pathogenicity of the disease. These cells adapt their metabolism upon infection and become highly glycolytic, which facilitates SARS-CoV-2 replication. The infection triggers mitochondrial ROS production, which induces stabilization of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) and consequently promotes glycolysis. HIF-1α-induced changes in monocyte metabolism by SARS-CoV-2 infection directly inhibit T cell response and reduce epithelial cell survival. Targeting HIF-1ɑ may have great therapeutic potential for the development of novel drugs to treat COVID-19. | Cell Metab | 2020 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 7296 | Intensive care needs and short-term outcome of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C): Experience from North India OBJECTIVES: To describe the intensive care needs and outcome of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C). METHODOLOGY: This retrospective study was conducted in the Pediatric Emergency and Intensive Care Units and COVID-19 hospital of a tertiary care teaching and referral hospital in North India over a period of 5 months (September 2020-January 2021). Clinical details, laboratory investigations, intensive care needs, treatment, and short-term outcome were recorded. RESULTS: Forty children with median (IQR) age of 7 (5-10) years were enrolled. The common clinical features were fever (97.5%), mucocutaneous involvement (80%), abdominal (72.5%) and respiratory (50%) symptoms. Shock was noted in 80% children. Most cases (85%) required PICU admission where they received nasal prong oxygen (40%), non-invasive (22.5%) and invasive (22.5%) ventilation, and vasoactive drug support (72.5%). The confirmation of SARS-CoV-2 exposure was noted in the form of positive serology (66.7%), RT PCR (10%), and contact with SARS-CoV-2 positive case (12.5%). The common echocardiographic findings included myocardial dysfunction (ejection fraction <55%) (72.5%), and coronary artery dilatation or aneurysm (22.5%). The immunomodulatory treatment included IVIG (2 gm/kg) (100%) and steroids (methylprednisolone 10-30 mg/kg/day for 3-5 days) (85%). Aspirin was used in 80% and heparin (low molecular weight) in 7.5% cases. Two children died (5%) and median duration of PICU and hospital stay in survivors were 5 (2-8) and 7 (4-9) days, respectively. Children with shock showed higher total leucocyte count and higher rates of myocardial dysfunction. CONCLUSION: Cardiovascular involvement and shock are predominant features in severe disease. Early diagnosis may be challenging given the overlapping features with other diagnoses. A high index of suspicion is warranted in children with constellation of fever, mucocutaneous, GI and cardiovascular involvement alongwith evidence of systemic inflammation and recent or concurrent SARS-CoV-2 infection. The short-term outcome is good with appropriate organ support therapies and immunomodulation. | J Trop Pediatr | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 7297 | PaCAR: COVID-19 Pandemic Control Decision Making via Large-Scale Agent-Based Modeling and Deep Reinforcement Learning N/A | Med Decis Making | 2022 | LitCov | |
| 7298 | Mental Health Outcomes Among Italian Healthcare Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic IMPORTANCE: Health care workers (HCWs) exposed to COVID-19 have high rates of mental health issues. However, longitudinal data on the evolution of mental health outcomes in HCWs are lacking. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the mental health outcomes among Italian HCWs 14 months after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This longitudinal cohort study collected data from March 1 to April 30, 2020 (T1) and from April 1 to May 31, 2021 (T2), from 2856 Italian HCWs aged 18 years or older who responded to an online questionnaire. Participants were also recruited via snowballing, a technique in which someone who receives the invitation to participate forwards it to his or her contacts. EXPOSURES: Frontline vs second-line position, job type, hospitalization for COVID-19, and colleagues or family members affected by COVID-19. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Outcomes are depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms, insomnia symptoms, and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSSs). Four different trajectories are described for each condition: resilient, remittent, incident, and persistent. RESULTS: Of the 2856 HCWs, 997 (34.9%) responded to the follow-up assessment (mean [SD] age, 42.92 [10.66] years; 816 [82.0%] female). Depression symptoms (b = −2.88; 95% CI, −4.05 to −1.71), anxiety symptoms (b = −2.01; 95% CI, −3.13 to −0.88), and PTSSs (b = −0.77; 95% CI, −1.13 to −0.42) decreased over time; insomnia symptoms increased (b = 3.05; 95% CI, 1.63-4.47). Serving as a frontline HCW at T1 was associated with decreased symptoms of depression (b = −1.04; 95% CI, −2.01 to −0.07), and hospitalization for COVID-19 was associated with increased depression symptoms (b = 5.96; 95% CI, 2.01-9.91); younger age (b = −0.36; 95% CI, −0.70 to −0.03) and serving as a frontline HCW at T1 (b = −1.04; 95% CI, −1.98 to −0.11) were associated with decreased anxiety symptoms. Male sex was associated with increase in insomnia symptoms (b = 1.46; 95% CI, 0.39-2.53). Serving as a frontline HCW at T1 (b = −0.42; 95% CI, −0.71 to −0.13) and being a physician (b = −0.52; 95% CI, −0.81 to −0.24) were associated with a decrease in PTSSs, whereas younger age (b = 0.35; 95% CI, 0.09-0.61) and male sex (b = 0.12; 95% CI, 0.01-0.22) were associated with an increase in PTSSs. Depression trajectories were 629 resilient (65.5%), 181 remittent (18.8%), 58 incident (6.0%), and 92 persistent (9.6%). Anxiety trajectories were 701 resilient (73.3%), 149 remittent (15.6%), 45 incident (4.7%), and 61 persistent (6.4%). Insomnia trajectories were 858 resilient (88.9%), 77 remittent (8.0%), 20 incident (2.1%), and 10 persistent (1.0%). The PTSS trajectories were 363 resilient (38.5%), 267 remittent (28.3%), 86 incident (9.1%), and 226 persistent (24.0%). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In this cohort study, relative to the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health among HCWs has improved. Factors associated with change in mental health outcomes could help in the design of prevention strategies for HCWs. | JAMA Netw Open | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 7299 | Predictors of progression from moderate to severe COVID-19: a retrospective cohort OBJECTIVE: Most coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases were identified as moderate, which is defined as having a fever or dry cough and lung imaging with ground-glass opacities. The risk factors and predictors of prognosis in such cohorts remain uncertain. METHODS: All adult patients with COVID-19 of moderate severity diagnosed using qRT-PCR and hospitalized at the Central Hospital of Wuhan, China, from Jan 1 to Mar 20, 2020 were enrolled in this retrospective study. The main outcomes were progression from moderate to severe or critical condition or death. RESULTS: Among the 456 enrolled patients with moderate COVID-19, 251/456 (55.0%) had poor prognosis. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified higher NLR on admission (OR =1.032, 95%CI 1.042-1.230, P = 0.004) and higher CRP on admission (OR =3.017, 95%CI 1.941-4.690, P < 0.001) were associated with increased odds ratios of poor prognosis. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) for NLR and CRP in predicting progression to critical condition was 0.77 (95% CI 0.694-0.846, P < 0.001) and 0.84 (95% CI 0.780-0.905, P < 0.001), with a cut-off value of 2.79 and 25.95 mg/l, respectively. The AUC of NLR and CRP in predicting death was 0.81 (95% CI, 0.732-0.878, P < 0.001) and 0.89 (95% CI 0.825-0.946, P < 0.001), with a cut-off value of 3.19 and 33.4 mg/l, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Higher levels of NLR and CRP at admission were associated with poor prognosis of moderate COVID-19 patients. NLR and CRP were good predictors of progression to critical condition and death. | Clin Microbiol Infect | 2020 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 7300 | Innate immunity during SARS-CoV-2: evasion strategies and activation trigger hypoxia and vascular damage Innate immune sensing of viral molecular patterns is essential for development of antiviral responses. Like many viruses, SARS‐CoV‐2 has evolved strategies to circumvent innate immune detection including low CpG levels in the genome, glycosylation to shield essential elements including the receptor binding domain, RNA shielding and generation of viral proteins that actively impede anti‐viral interferon responses. Together these strategies allow widespread infection and increased viral load. Despite the efforts of immune subversion, SARS‐CoV‐2 infection activates innate immune pathways inducing a robust type I/III interferon response, production of proinflammatory cytokines, and recruitment of neutrophils and myeloid cells. This may induce hyperinflammation or alternatively, effectively recruit adaptive immune responses that help clear the infection and prevent reinfection. The dysregulation of the renin‐angiotensin system due to downregulation of angiotensin converting enzyme 2, the receptor for SARS‐CoV‐2, together with the activation of type I/III interferon response, and inflammasome response converge to promote free radical production and oxidative stress. This exacerbates tissue damage in the respiratory system but also leads to widespread activation of coagulation pathways leading to thrombosis. Here, we review the current knowledge of the role of the innate immune response following SARS‐CoV‐2 infection, much of which is based on the knowledge from SARS‐CoV and other coronaviruses. Understanding how the virus subverts the initial immune response and how an aberrant innate immune response contributes to the respiratory and vascular damage in COVID‐19 may help explain factors that contribute to the variety of clinical manifestations and outcome of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. | Clin Exp Immunol | 2020 | 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.