Coronavirus (CoV) Disease 2019 Research Articles

Features of the course of severe and critical COVID-19 in pregnant women: A prospective cross-sectional study.

At the beginning of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, studies showed that the risk of severe disease was higher in pregnant women. This study investigates the characteristics of severe and critical types of COVID-19 coronavirus infection in pregnant women. This prospective cross-sectional study compared the medical records of 120 pregnant women with severe and very severe COVID-19 treated at the Infectious Disease Center, Shymkent, Kazakhstan from December 2021 to May 2022. Factors such as time of hospital admission, hospitalization period, maternal comorbidities, age, pregnancy and postpartum complications, pregnancy outcomes, and treatment type were analyzed. 87 (72.5%) pregnant women with severe and 33 (27.5%) with critical type of COVID-19 were included. The following data were obtained when comparing the pregnancy parity of the subjects, depending on the gestational age: in 1-12 wk, the indicator was 3.75 0.95; in 13-27 wk 3.00 (Q1-Q3: 2.00-4.00), in 28-40 wk 3.00 (Q1-Q3: 2.00-4.00). Severe COVID-19 coronavirus infection occurs in women with more than a third pregnancy (Me 3.00 [Q1-Q3: 2.00-4.00]). There is a risk of disease progression to severe and critical COVID-19 in pregnant women older than 33 yr of age and at 28-40 wk gestation. Early referral to a doctor in hospital, timely hospitalization, and initiated treatment reduces the risk of aggravation of the patient's condition and development of formidable complications.

Utilizing cost-effective portable equipment to enhance COVID-19 variant tracking both on-site and at a large scale.

Despite optimistic predictions on the eventual end of COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019), caution is necessary regarding the emergence of new variants to sustain a positive outlook and effectively address any potential future outbreaks. However, ongoing efforts to track COVID-19 variants are concentrated in developed countries and unique social practices and remote habitats of indigenous peoples present additional challenges. By combining small-sized equipment that is easily accessible and inexpensive, we performed SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2) whole genome sequencing and measured the sample-to-answer time and accuracy of this portable variant tracking tool. Our portable design determined the variant of SARS-CoV-2 in an infected individual within 9 hours and 15 minutes without external power or internet connection, surpassing the speed of previous portable tools. It took only 16 minutes to complete sequencing run, whole genome assembly, and lineage determination using a single standalone laptop. We then demonstrated the capability to produce 289 SARS-CoV-2 whole genome sequences in a single portable sequencing run, representing a significant improvement over an existing throughput of 96 sequences per run. We verified the accuracy of portable sequencing by comparison with two other independent sequencing methods. We showed that our high-throughput data consistently represented the circulating variants in Los Angeles, United States, when compared with publicly available sequences. Our scheme is designed to be flexible, rapid, and accurate, making it a valuable tool for large-scale surveillance operations in low- and middle-income countries as well as targeted surveys for vulnerable populations in remote locations.IMPORTANCEThere have been significant efforts to track COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019) variants, accumulating over 15 million SARS-CoV-2 sequences as of 2023. However, the distribution of global survey data is highly skewed, with nearly half of all countries having inadequate or low levels of genomic surveillance. In addition, indigenous peoples face more severe threats from COVID-19, due to their generally remote residence and unique social practices. Cost-effective portable sequencing tools have been used to investigate Ebola and Zika outbreaks. However, these tools have a sample-to-answer time of around 24 hours and require an internet connection for data transfer to an off-site cloud server. In our study, we rapidly determined COVID-19 variants using only small and inexpensive equipment, with a completion time of 9 hours and 15 minutes. Furthermore, we produced 289 near-full-length SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences from a single portable Nanopore sequencing run, representing a threefold increase in throughput compared with existing Nanopore sequencing methods.

THE IMPACT OF COMORBIDITIES ON COVID-19 SEVERITY IN PEDIATRIC PATIENTS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Background:Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has caused over 6 million deaths worldwide. Comorbidities like obesity, asthma, and neurological disorders are risk factors for severe illness in pediatric patients. The direct impact of COVID-19 on child mortality is limited, with only 0.4% of deaths occurring in children under 20.
 Objective: To identify risk factors and potential interventions to reduce severe illness and mortality in pediatric patients.
 Methods:A systematic review of COVID-19, sars-cov-2, and novel coronavirus in children was conducted using PubMed and Google Scholar. Severe COVID-19 prevalence in children assessed using Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROME) and the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) checklists, assessing quality and bias.
 Results:A review of 41 studies found a significant difference in severe COVID-19 infection risk among children with and without comorbidities, including hematologic, immune, respiratory, cardiovascular, neurological, obesity, and genetic syndromes.
 Conclusion:Comorbidities in pediatric COVID-19 patients enhance the risk; vaccinations and increased vigilance should take priority. 

Deep insight of HR management on work from home scenario during Covid pandemic situation using intelligent: analysis on IT sectors in Tamil Nadu

The unexpected Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has heavily hit on global business, causing major disruptions in Human Resource Management (HRM) across a wide range of industries. Since work and family are the major essential aspects of everyone's lives, work-life balance is a major factor impacting happiness. Changes brought on by the novel coronavirus COVID-19 have had far-reaching consequences for businesses all around the world, and had a significant impact on human resource management. HRM had to cope with the layoffs and staff reductions brought on by the pandemic lockdown. Work-life balance is a constant challenge for most of the employees. The work-from-home scenario shifted the balance between job and personal life. Most of the prior studies have looked at the nature of work-life balance, but only a few have covered the effects of a pandemic on the workplace. The goal of this research is to conduct a thorough examination of HRM in IT firms in Tamil Nadu under a work-from-home scenario in the event of a COVID pandemic. Here, the analysis is conducted on the basis of nine categories such as “employee wellbeing, flexible workplace, remote work, job loss, human capital, human resource development, leadership, performance, and communication”. A questionnaire is prepared to address the challenges facing in the above mentioned drives. Next, the responses are collected from different IT HR professionals in Tamil Nadu. These responses are given to the prediction phase that is performed using the proposed Deep Neural Network (DNN). DNN is used to obtain the result more quickly. Features are automatically deduced and optimally tuned for desired outcomes. The same neural network based approach can be applied to many different applications and data types. Here, the weight of DNN is optimized by the Oppositional Random Searched Tunicate Swarm Algorithm (ORS-TSA) for enhancing the performance through RMSE minimization. ORS-TSA has strong global optimization ability, robustness and fast convergence speed. It gives the optimal results when comparing the other traditional algorithms. Finally, the outcomes are compared with different methods using error measures to describe the superiority of the proposed method.

Causal effects of COVID-19 on cancer risk: A Mendelian randomization study.

In contemporary literature, little attention has been paid to the association between coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) and cancer risk. We performed the Mendelian randomization (MR) to investigate the causal associations between the three types of COVID-19 exposures (critically ill COVID-19, hospitalized COVID-19, and respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection) and 33 different types of cancers of the European population. The results of the inverse-variance-weighted model indicated that genetic liabilities to critically ill COVID-19 had suggestive causal associations with the increased risk for HER2-positive breast cancer (odds ratio [OR] = 1.0924; p-value = 0.0116), esophageal cancer (OR = 1.0004; p-value = 0.0226), colorectal cancer (OR = 1.0010; p-value = 0.0242), stomach cancer (OR = 1.2394; p-value = 0.0331), and colon cancer (OR = 1.0006; p-value = 0.0453). The genetic liabilities to hospitalized COVID-19 had suggestive causal associations with the increased risk for HER2-positive breast cancer (OR = 1.1096; p-value = 0.0458), esophageal cancer (OR = 1.0005; p-value = 0.0440) as well as stomach cancer (OR = 1.3043; p-value = 0.0476). The genetic liabilities to SARS-CoV-2 infection had suggestive causal associations with the increased risk for stomach cancer (OR = 2.8563; p-value = 0.0019) but with the decreasing risk for head and neck cancer (OR = 0.9986, p-value = 0.0426). The causal associations of the above combinations were robust through the test of heterogeneity and pleiotropy. Together, our study indicated that COVID-19 had causal effects on cancer risk.

The impact of COVID-19 on liver injury in various age.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) disease was first detected in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. This disease is currently one of the most important global health problems. The novel coronavirus COVID-19 is a respiratory illness, that has caused a deadly pandemic that is spreading rapidly around the world. It is not only a respiratory system virus that causes severe lung disease, but also a systemic disease agent that can affect all systems. People with COVID-19 disease usually have respiratory signs, however, the liver disorder is not an uncommon presentation. In addition, many studies around the world have revealed that the liver is injured to various degrees in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 disease. This review mainly focuses on the impact of COVID-19 on Liver Injury at various ages.

COVID-19 in Mass Media: Manufacturing Mass Perceptions of the Virus among Older Adults

Abstract According to the latest The Global Risks Report (2022) of World Economic Forum, the large-scale coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) threat creates various tensions that might lead to unexpected cascading impacts in various domains. Nevertheless, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus, about 120 nm in diameter, remains invisible to people whose cognition, emotions, and health-related behaviors are driven primarily by the subjective perception of the virus. Mass media communicating information, symbols, beliefs, and codes of conduct to the population contribute widely to the socially constructed representations of the new SARS-CoV-2 virus. Thus, the aim of the current research is to investigate the impacts of the common COVID-19 mass media image of the “ball with spikes” representing the SARS-CoV-2 virus on older adults particularly vulnerable to the COVID-19 coronavirus disease and fake news dissemination. This research is based on an innovative mixed-methods research design that combines questionnaires (N = 144), semi-structured research interviews, and pictographic measures (N = 26). The primary results demonstrate that individuals’ perceptions of and emotional reactions to the invisible SARS-CoV-2 virus are shaped by mass media exposure, as the “ball with spikes” became a familiar symbol of the COVID-19 virus, marked by the symbolism of dangerousness and mystery with a divisive aesthetic. The current research that aims to highlight the role of mass media as the vector of an icon image of the new SARS-CoV-2 virus provides additional elements that may contribute to improved crisis management effectiveness of future pandemic outbreaks.

The Impact of Elective Surgical Restriction during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Shoulder and Elbow Surgery: patient perceptions.

In late 2019 and early 2020 a novel coronavirus (Covid-19) spread across the world creating a global pandemic. In the state of Pennsylvania, non-emergent, elective operations were temporarily delayed from proceeding with normal standard of care. The primary purpose of this study was to determine the proportion of patients who required prescription pain medication during the surgical delay. Secondarily, we sought to determine the proportion of patients who perceived their surgery as non-elective and evaluate how symptoms were managed during the delay. A single institutional database was used to retrospectively identify all shoulder and elbow surgeries scheduled between March 13, 2020 and May 6, 2020. Charts were manually reviewed. Patients who underwent non-shoulder and elbow related procedures and patients of surgeons outside of Pennsylvania were excluded. Patients whose surgeries were "postponed" or "canceled" were administered a survey evaluating how symptoms were managed and perceptions regarding the delay. Preoperative functional scores were collected. Statistical analysis was performed to determine associations between procedure status, preoperative functional scores, perception of surgery, and requirement for prescription pain medication. 338 patients were scheduled for shoulder/elbow surgery at our practice in Pennsylvania. 89 patients (26.3%) underwent surgery as initially scheduled. 179 patients (71.9%) had their surgeries postponed. 70 patients (28.1%) canceled surgery. The average delay in surgery was 86.7 days (range, 13-299 days). 176 (70.7%) patients who were postponed or canceled responded to the survey. 39 patients (22.2%) required prescription pain medication during the delay. 73 patients (41%) considered their procedure to be elective in nature. 137 patients (78%) would have moved forward with surgery if done safely under appropriate medical guidelines. Lower preoperative ASES and SANE scores (r= -0.36, p<0.001; r=-0.26, p=0.016, respectively), and higher preoperative VAS scores were correlated with requiring prescription pain medication (r=0.28, p=0.009). Higher preoperative ASES score was positively correlated with perception of surgery as elective (r=0.4; p<0.001). Patients undergoing elective shoulder and elbow surgery during the Covid-19 pandemic experienced a delay of nearly 3 months on average. Fewer than half of patients perceived their surgeries as elective procedures. Nearly a quarter of patients surveyed required extra prescription pain medicine during their delay. This study elucidates the fact that while orthopedic shoulder and elbow surgery is generally considered "elective" it is more important to a majority of patients. These findings may also be applicable to future potential mandated surgical care delays by other third- party organizations.

Psychological consequences of experiencing the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic: early maladaptive schemas and mental health and quality of life

ABSTRACT The research presented here aimed to determine the psychological consequences of experiencing Poland’s coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We focused on changes in mental health (anxiety and depression symptoms, morbid thoughts, and suicidal ideation) and quality of life. Our retrospective study included 499 adults comprising 316 women and 173 men (aged 18–72, Me = 27, SD = 12.48). We employed the following research tools: the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-30), the shortened version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF), and the abridged version of the Harkavy Asnis Suicide Survey (HASS-BREF) scale to assess the severity of suicidal ideations and behaviors, as well as the Young Schema Questionnaire (YSQ-S3-PL). The questionnaires’ instructions for the subjects were modified to obtain information for three specific periods: before the pandemic, at the most difficult time of the pandemic for individuals, and in the last two weeks (the time period preceding data collection; January/February 2021). It emerged that both mental health and quality of life had deteriorated significantly in the studied population. In addition, early maladaptive schemas (Abandonment, Vulnerability to Harm, and Insufficient Self-Control) were likely predictors of mental health deterioration at the most difficult time of the COVID-19 pandemic. The schema of Defectiveness was likely predictor of a lower severity of symptoms of mental health disturbances. If psychological diagnosis covered the identification of thinking patterns typical of maladaptive schemas, which may be a risk factor for mental health deterioration, psychologists could better adapt forms and ways of psychological assistance to the patient’s needs.

An Observational Study on the Early Stages of the Covid-19 Pandemic in Pakistan

Bachground: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which started on February 26, 2020 in city of karachi, spread quickly throughout Pakistan. Material and Method: The design of this study was a observational study design and this study was conducted at king Edward medical University Lahore. More than 6,200 persons were afflicted by the illness in the first seven weeks, and there were more than 111 documented fatalities. Many problems arise if we contrast the COVID-19 tragedies in Pakistan with those in nations like China, Iran, and the European Union. The geography of the nation, poverty, poor literacy rates, environmental circumstances, sanitary conditions, and dietary habits are only a few of the difficulties we face in containing this epidemic. Although there are terrible circumstances in each of these areas, Pakistan's COVID-19 epidemic was slower than that of other developing nations. Results: The impact of COVID-19 appears to be lessened by Pakistan's humid hot temperature, early reaction to COVID-19, population immune system, BCG vaccination, and the proportion of young individuals. In this essay, we explore the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in China, Iran, and Pakistan and present its day-to-day changes. We outline the COVID-19 structure and how it compares to SARS-COV and SARS-COV2. The use of Remdesivir (an adenosine analogue used against RNA viruses), Chloroquine (a widely used anti-malarial drug), convalescent plasma, neutralising antibodies targeting the ACE-2 receptor, and an ACE-2-like molecule that might bind to the S protein of the coronavirus are also covered in terms of treatment options and their drawbacks. Also covered are the effects of COVID-19 on Pakistan's economy and government relief measures. Conclusion: In conclusion, it may be said that the support systems in place may not be sufficient to stop the spread of the virus. Even with the meagre assistance offered, it is weaker for rural places where the virus's effects may be severe than in the nation's cities. Further research is required as the epidemic develops to better understand governmental efforts to contain the virus and its effects across the nation. Keywords: Coronavirus COVID-19 Pakistan Pandemic Outbreak

Crowdsourcing temporal transcriptomic coronavirus host infection data: Resources, guide, and novel insights.

The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) reawakened the need to rapidly understand the molecular etiologies, pandemic potential, and prospective treatments of infectious agents. The lack of existing data on SARS-CoV-2 hampered early attempts to treat severe forms of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) during the pandemic. This study coupled existing transcriptomic data from severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 1 (SARS-CoV-1) lung infection animal studies with crowdsourcing statistical approaches to derive temporal meta-signatures of host responses during early viral accumulation and subsequent clearance stages. Unsupervised and supervised machine learning approaches identified top dysregulated genes and potential biomarkers (e.g. CXCL10, BEX2, and ADM). Temporal meta-signatures revealed distinct gene expression programs with biological implications to a series of host responses underlying sustained Cxcl10 expression and Stat signaling. Cell cycle switched from G1/G0 phase genes, early in infection, to a G2/M gene signature during late infection that correlated with the enrichment of DNA damage response and repair genes. The SARS-CoV-1 meta-signatures were shown to closely emulate human SARS-CoV-2 host responses from emerging RNAseq, single cell, and proteomics data with early monocyte-macrophage activation followed by lymphocyte proliferation. The circulatory hormone adrenomedullin was observed as maximally elevated in elderly patients who died from COVID-19. Stage-specific correlations to compounds with potential to treat COVID-19 and future coronavirus infections were in part validated by a subset of twenty-four that are in clinical trials to treat COVID-19. This study represents a roadmap to leverage existing data in the public domain to derive novel molecular and biological insights and potential treatments to emerging human pathogens.

Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review.

Objective: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is a prominent cause of death worldwide. As indicated by the high proportion of COVID-19 suspicion or diagnosis among patients who had OHCA, this issue could have resulted in multiple fatalities from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) occurring at home and being counted as OHCA. Methods: We used the MeSH term "heart arrest" as well as non-MeSH terms "out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, sudden cardiac death, OHCA, cardiac arrest, coronavirus pandemic, COVID-19, and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)." We conducted a literature search using these search keywords in the Science Direct and PubMed databases and Google Scholar until 25 April 2022. Results: A systematic review of observational studies revealed OHCA and mortality rates increased considerably during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the same period of the previous year. A temporary two-fold rise in OHCA incidence was detected along with a drop in survival. During the pandemic, the community's response to OHCA changed, with fewer bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitations (CPRs), longer emergency medical service (EMS) response times, and worse OHCA survival rates. Conclusions: This study's limitations include a lack of a centralised data-gathering method and OHCA registry system. If the chain of survival is maintained and effective emergency ambulance services with a qualified emergency medical team are given, the outcome for OHCA survivors can be improved even more.

Genomic image representation of human coronavirus sequences for COVID-19 detection

Coronavirus (CoV) disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a severe pandemic affecting millions worldwide. Due to its rapid evolution, researchers have been working on developing diagnostic approaches to suppress its spread. This study presents an effective automated approach based on genomic image processing (GIP) techniques to rapidly detect COVID-19, among other human CoV diseases, with high acceptable accuracy. The GIP technique was applied as follows: first, genomic graphical mapping techniques were used to convert the genome sequences into genomic grayscale images. The frequency chaos game representation (FCGR) and single gray-level representation (SGLR) techniques were used in this investigation. Then, several statistical features were obtained from the images to train and test many classifiers, including the k-nearest neighbors (KNN). This study aimed to determine the efficacy of the FCGR (with different orders) and SGLR images for accurately detecting COVID-19,using a dataset containing both partial and complete genome sequences. The results recommended the fourth-order FCGR image as a proper genomic image for extracting statistical features and achieving accurate classification. Furthermore, the results showed that KNN achieved an overall accuracy of 99.39% in detecting COVID-19, among other human CoV diseases, with 99.48% precision, 99.31% sensitivity, 99.47% specificity, 0.99 F1-score, and 0.99 Matthew's correlation coefficient.

Evaluation of CRP, D-Dimer of clinical significance in Iraqi patients with COVID-19 and associated comorbidities

Background: The pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has caused an unprecedented global social and economic impact, and high numbers of deaths. Many risk factors have been identified in the progression of COVID-19 into a severe and critical stage, underlying comorbidities such as hypertension, diabetes, obesity, chronic lung diseases, heart, liver and kidney diseases. Aims and Methods: This study was designed to investigate Measurement of serum C-reactive protein( CRP) level, plasma D-dimer level and evaluate the levels of each one of the studied parameters between patients infected by coronavirus COVID-19 and no associated comorbidities and patients infected by coronavirus COVID-19 with associated comorbidity (Diabetes , Hypertension). Results: The mean of CRP was 19.31 ± 8.205 in control, , 96.80 ± 18.33 in HTN, 51.08 ± 16.56 in DM group, while mean of D-dimer was 560.45 ± 155.13 in control group, , 1178.86 ± 379.12 in HTN group, 1529.51 ± 530.20 in DM group of patients.

CHEST CT VS RT-PCR FOR THE DETECTION OF COVID-19: SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS OF COMPARATIVE STUDIES

TYPE: Abstract TOPIC: Chest Infections PURPOSE: To compare the performance of chest computed tomography (CT) scan versus reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) as the reference standard in the initial diagnostic assessment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed as per the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guidelines. A search of electronic information was conducted using the following databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, EMCARE, CINAHL and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. Thirteen non-randomised studies enrolling 4092 patients were identified. Sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were primary outcome measures. Secondary outcomes included other test performance characteristics and discrepant findings between both investigations. RESULTS: Chest CT had a median sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of 0.91 (range 0.82–0.98), 0.775 (0.25–1.00) and 0.87 (0.68–0.99), respectively, with RT-PCR as the reference. Importantly, early small, China-based studies tended to favour chest CT versus later larger, non-China studies. CONCLUSIONS: A relatively high false positive rate can be expected with chest CT. It is possible it may still be useful to provide circumstantial evidence, however, in some patients with a suspicious clinical presentation of COVID-19 and negative initial Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 RT-PCR tests, but more evidence is required in this context. In acute cardiorespiratory presentations, negative CT scan and RT-PCR tests is likely to be reassuring. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: This study provides useful information regardnig which reference standard in the initial diagnostic assessment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients between chest CT versus RT-PCR DISCLOSURE: Nothing to declare. KEYWORD: COVID-19

Skeletal Muscle and COVID-19: The Potential Involvement of Bioactive Sphingolipids

SARS-CoV-2 virus infection is the cause of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is still spreading over the world. The manifestation of this disease can range from mild to severe and can be limited in time (weeks) or persist for months in about 30–50% of patients. COVID-19 is considered a multiple organ dysfunction syndrome and the musculoskeletal system manifestations are beginning to be considered of absolute importance in both COVID-19 patients and in patients recovering from the SARS-CoV-2 infection. Musculoskeletal manifestations of COVID-19 and other coronavirus infections include loss of muscle mass, muscle weakness, fatigue or myalgia, and muscle injury. The molecular mechanisms by which SARS-CoV-2 can cause damage to skeletal muscle (SkM) cells are not yet well understood. Sphingolipids (SLs) represent an important class of eukaryotic lipids with structural functions as well as bioactive molecules able to modulate crucial processes, including inflammation and viral infection. In the last two decades, several reports have highlighted the role of SLs in modulating SkM cell differentiation, regeneration, aging, response to insulin, and contraction. This review summarizes the consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection on SkM and the potential involvement of SLs in the tissue responses to virus infection. In particular, we highlight the role of sphingosine 1-phosphate signaling in order to aid the prediction of novel targets for preventing and/or treating acute and long-term musculoskeletal manifestations of virus infection in COVID-19.

Clinical characteristics and determinants of mortality in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients on an intensive care unit-a retrospective explorative 1-year all-comers study.

BackgroundClinical outcome in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) requiring treatment on intensive care units (ICU) remains unfavourable. The aim of this retrospective study was to exploratively identify potential predictors of unfavourable outcome in ICU patients diagnosed with COVID-19.MethodsIn all patients with COVID-19 (n=50) or severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) as comorbidity (n=11) at our ICU we assessed clinical, respiratory and laboratory parameters with a potential role for outcome. Main outcome variables were intubation and mortality rates.ResultsBetween March 2020 and March 2021, 573 patients were hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Of these, 61 patients (10.6%, 44.3% women) aged 66.4±13.3 were admitted to ICU. A proportion of 73.8% of patients had moderate or severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). COVID-19 patients differed clinically from those with SARS-CoV-2 as comorbidity, such as severe heart or renal failure or sepsis as the leading cause of ICU admission, despite similar mortality rates (44.0% vs. 45.5%, P>0.5). Among COVID-19 patients, those who died had more often severe ARDS (91% vs. 46%, P=0.001), longer non-invasive ventilation (NIV) therapy prior to ICU (6.3±5.9 vs. 2.5±2.0 days, P=0.046), and higher interleukin-6 (IL-6) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) values as compared to survivors. In multivariable analysis, NIV duration ≥5 days on admission [odds ratio (OR): 42.20, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.22 to >99, P=0.038] and IL-6 [OR: 4.08, 95% CI: 1.16–14.33, P=0.028] remained independently predictive of mortality. In worsening tertiles of partial pressure of oxygen (pO2)/inspiratory oxygen fraction (FiO2) on admission (≥161.5, 96.5 to <161.5, <96.5) we observed a stepwise increase in intubation rates (P=0.0034) and mortality rates (P=0.031).ConclusionsAs inflammation, ARDS severity and longer NIV duration prior to ICU are associated with intubation and mortality rates, prognosis appears to be largely determined by disease severity. Whether NIV aggravates ARDS or if it indicates lack of recovery independent from type of ventilation, or both should be clarified in a prospective trial.

Temporal development of research publications on SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected daily life throughout the world. The scientific community has globally responded to the pandemic with research on an unprecedented scale to help prevent disease spread and terminate the pandemic, resulting in a proliferation of scientific publications. In this article, the temporal trend of research on COVID-19 is analyzed to describe its development and inform a prediction of its future. Four other viruses are included in the analysis as negative or positive controls to illustrate that the concerns of the general public and/or the interest of the scientific community are major driving forces in the development of research. Our analysis predicts that COVID-19 and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) will be major topics of research until at least 2025. We discuss the implications of our analysis for three sectors of community: researchers, epidemiologists, and young students.

SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro displays faster self-maturation in vitro than SARS-CoV 3CLpro due to faster C-terminal cleavage.

The coronavirus (CoV) disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has become a worldwide pandemic. The 3C-like protease (3CLpro ), which cleaves 11 sites including its own N- and C-termini on the viral polyproteins, is essential for SARS-CoV-2 replication. In this study, we constructed the full-length inactive 3CLpro with N- and C-terminal extensions as substrates for monitoring self-cleavage by wild-type 3CLpro . We found that the rate-limiting C-terminal self-cleavage rate of SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro was 35-fold faster than that of SARS-CoV 3CLpro using the Trx/GST-tagged C145A 3CLpro substrates. Since self-cleavage of 3CLpro is the initial step for maturation of other viral proteins, our study suggests more facile SARS-CoV-2 replication than that of SARS-CoV.

COVID-19 vaccines and coronavirus 19 variants including alpha, delta, and omicron: present status and future directions

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by a coronavirus, also called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). It has caused urgent global health problems worldwide. The rapid spread of this pathogen, the development of its variants, and the escalating number of patients and their deaths prompted scientists to take up the race for immediate development of COVID-19 vaccines. With regard to the technologies available for vaccine development, mRNA-, inactivated virus-, viral vector-, and protein subunit-based vaccines have been developed thus far. This review article aimed to epitomize the current intelligence and improvements of various vaccines against COVID-19, explicitly those approved for urgent use.