A Gamma-adapted recombinant subunit vaccine induces broadly neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 variants and protects mice from SARS-CoV-2 infection. (preprint)

The COVID-19 pandemic continues with the emergence of successive new variants of concern (VOC). One strategy to prevent breakthrough infections is developing safe and effective broad-spectrum vaccines. Here, we present preclinical studies of a RBD recombinant vaccine candidate derived from the Gamma SARS-CoV-2 variant adjuvanted with alum. Gamma RBD-derived antigen elicited better neutralizing antibody and T cell responses than formulation containing ancestral RBD antigen. The Gamma-adapted subunit vaccine elicited a long-lasting antibody response with cross-neutralizing activity against different VOC including the Omicron variant. Additionally, Gamma variant RBD-adapted vaccine elicited robust T cells responses with induction of Th1 and CD8+ T cell responses in spleen and lung. Vaccine-induced immunity protected K18-hACE2 mice from intranasal challenge with SARS-CoV-2 increasing survival, reducing body weight loss and viral burden in the lungs and brain. Importantly, the subunit vaccine demonstrated a potent effect as heterologous booster of different vaccine platforms including the non-replicating adenovirus vaccine ChAdOx1-S, the mRNA vaccine BNT162b2 and the inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine BBIBP-CorV, increasing cross-reactive antibody responses. Our study indicates that the adjuvanted Gamma RBD vaccine is highly immunogenic and a broad-spectrum vaccine candidate to combat SARS-CoV-2 variants including Omicron.

Integrated genomic surveillance enables tracing of person-to-person SARS-CoV-2 transmission chains during community transmission and reveals extensive onward transmission of travel-imported infections, Germany, June to July 2021

Background: Tracking person-to-person SARS-CoV-2 transmission in the population is important to under-stand the epidemiology of community transmission and may contribute to the containment of SARS-CoV-2. Neither contact tracing nor genomic surveillance alone, however, are typically sufficient to achieve this objective. Aim: We demonstrate the successful appli-cation of the integrated genomic surveillance (IGS) system of the German city of Dusseldorf for tracing SARS-CoV-2 transmission chains in the population as well as detecting and investigating travel-associated SARS-CoV-2 infection clusters. Methods: Genomic sur-veillance, phylogenetic analysis, and structured case interviews were integrated to elucidate two geneti-cally defined clusters of SARS-CoV-2 isolates detected by IGS in Dusseldorf in July 2021. Results: Cluster 1 (n = 67 Dusseldorf cases) and Cluster 2 (n = 36) were detected in a surveillance dataset of 518 high-quality SARS-CoV-2 genomes from Dusseldorf (53% of total cases, sampled mid-June to July 2021). Cluster 1 could be traced back to a complex pattern of transmission in nightlife venues following a putative importation by a SARS-CoV-2-infected return traveller (IP) in late June;28 SARS-CoV-2 cases could be epidemiologically directly linked to IP. Supported by viral genome data from Spain, Cluster 2 was shown to represent multi-ple independent introduction events of a viral strain circulating in Catalonia and other European coun-tries, followed by diffuse community transmission in Dusseldorf.

Patients awaiting surgery for neurosurgical diseases during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain: a multicentre cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: The large number of infected patients requiring mechanical ventilation has led to the postponement of scheduled neurosurgical procedures during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The aims of this study were to investigate the factors that influence the decision to postpone scheduled neurosurgical procedures and to evaluate the effect of the restriction in scheduled surgery adopted to deal with the first outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain on the outcome of patients awaiting surgery. DESIGN: This was an observational retrospective study. SETTINGS: A tertiary-level multicentre study of neurosurgery activity between 1 March and 30 June 2020. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 680 patients awaiting any scheduled neurosurgical procedure were enrolled. 470 patients (69.1%) were awaiting surgery because of spine degenerative disease, 86 patients (12.6%) due to functional disorders, 58 patients (8.5%) due to brain or spine tumours, 25 patients (3.7%) due to cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) disorders and 17 patients (2.5%) due to cerebrovascular disease. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was mortality due to any reason and any deterioration of the specific neurosurgical condition. Second, we analysed the rate of confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. RESULTS: More than one-quarter of patients experienced clinical or radiological deterioration. The rate of worsening was higher among patients with functional (39.5%) or CSF disorders (40%). Two patients died (0.4%) during the waiting period, both because of a concurrent disease. We performed a multivariate logistic regression analysis to determine independent covariates associated with maintaining the surgical indication. We found that community SARS-CoV-2 incidence (OR=1.011, p<0.001), degenerative spine (OR=0.296, p=0.027) and expedited indications (OR=6.095, p<0.001) were independent factors for being operated on during the pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: Patients awaiting neurosurgery experienced significant collateral damage even when they were considered for scheduled procedures.

Effects of music therapy as a distance therapeutic technique for cancer patients. Pilot test with a relaxing music model

Little is known about the effects of listening to recorded therapeutic music on the mood of cancer patients. A pilot music therapy study is presented here, in which a relaxing music (RM) protocol was applied to heterogeneous oncology patients in the follow-up care phase. The individual intervention protocol was applied in a Telehealth mode, and its therapeutic efficacy was verified during the health emergency caused by the Covid-19 crisis. The main objective here is to complete the definitive design of the protocol so that it can be used to treat these patients or those with other clinical diagnoses. The results show an improvement in patients' capacity for relaxation and a greater degree of relief from negative emotional responses. The cognitive responses suggest that listening to music facilitates improvements in emotions and positive ideations. It is suggested that the use of the RM protocol in cancer patients may have positive effects by relieving negative moods, and that the protocol may protect against depression and / or anxiety. In this article, the protocol is reviewed and proposals for improvement are offered. It is suggested that future research should take a broader and deeper look at the variables of the patients' context and environment, as well as at aspects of the therapeutic relationship between the music therapist, the clinical psychologist and the patient.

The specific metabolome profiling of patients infected by SARS-COV-2 supports the key role of tryptophan-nicotinamide pathway and cytosine metabolism.

The biological mechanisms involved in SARS-CoV-2 infection are only partially understood. Thus we explored the plasma metabolome of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 to search for diagnostic and/or prognostic biomarkers and to improve the knowledge of metabolic disturbance in this infection. We analyzed the plasma metabolome of 55 patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 and 45 controls by LC-HRMS at the time of viral diagnosis (D0). We first evaluated the ability to predict the diagnosis from the metabotype at D0 in an independent population. Next, we assessed the feasibility of predicting the disease evolution at the 7th and 15th day. Plasma metabolome allowed us to generate a discriminant multivariate model to predict the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 in an independent population (accuracy > 74%, sensitivity, specificity > 75%). We identified the role of the cytosine and tryptophan-nicotinamide pathways in this discrimination. However, metabolomic exploration modestly explained the disease evolution. Here, we present the first metabolomic study in SARS-CoV-2 patients which showed a high reliable prediction of early diagnosis. We have highlighted the role of the tryptophan-nicotinamide pathway clearly linked to inflammatory signals and microbiota, and the involvement of cytosine, previously described as a coordinator of cell metabolism in SARS-CoV-2. These findings could open new therapeutic perspectives as indirect targets.

Afterword: Opening Space for Collective Grief

In 2018, editor Patti Duncan invited former managing editor Rebecca Lambert, editorial assistant LK Mae, and me to write an afterword for the winter issue celebrating the thirty-year anniversary of Feminist Formations. In the introduction to our 2020 summer issue, Patti Duncan discussed collective grief, sharing the process of "learning new things about grief, getting familiar with loss, and pausing to try to gather [her] stories and [her] loved ones close" (2020, vii). In 1981, Lorde addressed an expectant audience at the National Women's Studies Association Conference in Storrs Connecticut (2007, 124). Lorde spoke of anger as a catalyst for change, with limitations, that, when used "in the service of our vision and our future is a liberating and strengthening act of clarification" (2007, 127, 131).

The specific metabolome profiling of patients infected by SARS-COV-2 supports the key role of tryptophan-nicotinamide pathway and cytosine metabolism (preprint)

BackgroundThe biological mechanisms involved in SARS-CoV-2 infection are only partially understood. Thus we explored the plasma metabolome of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 to search for diagnostic and/or prognostic biomarkers and to improve the knowledge of metabolic disturbance in this infection.Materials and Methods                            We analyzed the plasma metabolome of 55 patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 and 45 controls by LC-HRMS at the time of diagnosis (D0). We first evaluated the ability to predict the diagnosis from the metabotype at D0 in an independent population. Next, we assessed the feasibility of predicting the disease evolution at the 7th and 15th day.ResultsPlasma metabolome allowed us to generate a discriminant multivariate model to predict the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 in an independent population (accuracy>74%, sensitivity, specificity>75%). We identified the role of the cytosine and tryptophan-nicotinamide pathways in this discrimination. However, metabolomic exploration modestly explained the disease evolution.DiscussionHere, we present the first metabolomic study in SARS-CoV-2 patients which showed a high reliable prediction of early diagnosis. We have highlighted the role of the tryptophan-nicotinamide pathway clearly linked to inflammatory signals and microbiota, and the involvement of cytosine, previously described as a coordinator of cell metabolism in SARS-CoV-2. These findings could open new therapeutic perspectives as indirect targets.